


Things you can tell just by looking at him

by RJSawyer



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 38
Words: 36,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22432798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RJSawyer/pseuds/RJSawyer
Summary: Going on Kevin's third year with the Foxes, he wanted a smooth year. He wanted to be over the crippling anxiety of his time at the Ravens nest. He wanted to win championships for the third year in a row. He wanted to hear Riko's name and not flinch. He wanted to get though the week without a nightmare. Kevin wanted a lot. For Kevin, want and need were interchangeable since he was never really able to want anything.After the Foxes first championship, Riko's broken arm, the Master stepping down and Kevin being back on top of his game, the Breckenridge Jackals had climbed tooth and nail up the standings. They knocked out Penn State and Kevin knew they were going to be the new power house. So why did they not recruit one of the best Strikers Kevin had seen when they already had him in their circle?
Relationships: Kevin Day/Thea Muldani, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Nicky Hemmick/Erik Klose
Comments: 61
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

Kevin got out of the SUV and looked up at the tired, faded back apartment building. This was the third season he would be with the Foxes and still the slums where Wymack recruited most of their players was still jarring for him. He thought that after their two national champion seasons in the Foxes’ back pocket they’d have a better caliber of recruitment. Wymack was sticking with this recruiting style though. Athletes from broken homes, abused children, orphans.  
Kevin fit into that mold, he just didn’t realize it until he saw how much he had in common with the Foxes of Palmeto State. When he was able to see the trauma of his life with the Ravens he saw how he could have turned out like any of his teammates. He could have gone on the run, he could have become angry and wound up in Juvie, he could have turned to drugs. Kevin turned to Exy. Exy was his drug, his crutch and he knew it. That’s why the foxes had to be perfect. He didn’t have room for mediocracy in Exy.  
This recruit had potential. His bad attitude had him sidelined for a lot of his senior year, so his statistics were horrible, but when Kevin saw him play on the DVD that was sent with his file. He hadn’t been so sure of anyone since he saw Neil play.  
“Looks like a jail,” Andrew said as he stepped up beside Kevin on the curb.  
“You should fit in then,” Wymack said and flicked away his cigarette. “Alright, lets go get him.”  
“He’s already turned us down twice,” Neil said. “Remind me again what we’re doing here?”  
“You said no at first too,” Wymack said. “Hopefully seeing that you three are invested in him as much as I am he’ll reconsider. Now listen up, this kid’s seen some shit alright? Andrew for once take it easy on this recruit. Kevin, don’t be a hard ass, Neil just shuddap.”  
Kevin followed Wymack to the front door of the apartment complex. He wrinkled his nose once they were inside, it smelled like dust and stale air.  
“Isn’t his brother on the Jackals?” Neil asked. “Why isn’t he there with him?”  
“Ex-foster brother,” Wymack said.  
“Aw coach another Foster kid?” Andrew asked “We’re awful, lets rethink this in the car.”  
“Andrew I swear to God,” Wymack said and knocked on 3B’s door.  
A middled aged woman answered the door and blinked up at Wymack’s tall frame.  
“We’re looking for Ari, he around?” Wymack asked.  
“Who are you?” She asked  
“I’m Coach David Wymack from Palmeto State, these are some of my athletes, we talked on the phone, Sarah Patterson right?” Wymack asked.  
“Oh yes, Coach Wymack,” Sarah said and opened the door. “I didn’t think you were actually going to come after your last phone call with him.”  
“We’re hard to turn down,” Wymack said as they were ushered inside.  
“Don’t get you hopes up, he’s had a very hard time after his brother died. He hasn’t touched a racket in months. Please sit, I’ll go get him.” She disappeared down the hallway as Kevin sat on a lumpy couch. Ariato Hiro was a wildcard at this point. The best striker to come out of high school that Kevin could remember ever seeing. University recruiters started to pay attention to him when he was a Sophomore. He was the one to watch. A foster kid with potential. Most universities didn’t think they had a chance since their foster family was the coach of the Jackals, but they kept him in sight.  
He glanced at Andrew, Ari too was a twin. Was a twin. In April, two weeks before High School Championships and a month before graduation Ari found Koji hanging from a rafter in the garage. With in a week he was brought to Sarah 200 miles away from where he lost his brother. In a week he lost his brother and the family they lived with since they were 10. He didn’t join the Exy team in his new school, even though the Exy coach begged him to play the last few games to get them into Finals, he barely went to class, he graduated basically as an apology gift. His foster mother said he didn’t even bring his racket to her house.  
Sarah returned, with a nervous look on her face and for a moment Kevin thought Ari wasn’t going to see them, but she stepped out of the way and a boy stepped in to the room after her.  
His dark thick hair fell over his forehead and hung in his eyes. His eyes, the same dark shade and Asian tilt Rico’s had, instantly put a chill down Kevin’s spine, but then Ari smiled. It was a pretty smile, an easy smile that completely was at odds with the dark look he had when he walked in.  
“Well, you four are a determined bunch,” Ari said. “I haven’t picked up at Racket since April. I wasn’t even on a team in my new school. You shouldn’t be here.”  
“You were on a team when your coach sent us your files.” Wymack said.  
“A lot has happened since then,” Ari said, the easy smile still on his face. “I’d tell you, but you read the news I’m sure.”  
“You’ll be behind,” Kevin said. “But we have two weeks before practice starts, you’ll come in Palmetto early and work with us before practice starts officially in August.”  
“Yeah?” Ari asked “I will?”  
“You’re too talented not to play,” Neil said. “I get it, I turned them down when they came to Arizona”  
“I’m not on the run from the Mafia,” Ari said. “I just don’t want to play.”  
“Boo hoo,” Andrew said. “Find your dick and man up.You can go to the Jackals who all know your dead brother or you can come play with us, who don’t know or care your twin killed himself.” He paused and looked at Wymack. “You told Neil to shut up, not me.”  
Wymack rubbed his forehead. “You are going to send me to early retirement Minyard. Look, Ari, after the year you had I get why you don’t want to get back on a court, but this could be a real chance for you. It can give you a place on a team again, a degree. I know as much as you that higher education is hard when you’re in foster care. And I know you have one month before you age out. Do you have any other plans? Where are going to go when you turn 18 and the state stops paying for you to live here?” He glanced at Sarah. “No offense.”  
Ari looked away and pulled at the collar of his t shirt.  
“Full ride, meal plan, student insurance.” Wymack said. “5 years for you to figure out what you want to do, walk away with a degree and a support system.”  
“I don’t need your charity.” Ari said and crossed his arms.  
“No but if you're smart you’ll take it,” Kevin said. “And it’s not charity. We need you."  
Ari snorted. “Nobody needs me.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Think he’ll show up to the airport in the morning?” Andrew asked and lit a cigarette when they stepped out of the apartment building.  
“He’ll show.” Neil said.  
“He’s out of practice and skinny,” Kevin said. “This might be more work than I thought.” He thought of Ari’s delicate features and small frame. He looked bigger in his tapes. Stockier and less breakable. The last few months had have been hard on him. Kevin would get him back to where he needed to be. This kid was the future of the Foxes. In two years Andrew and he would be graduating, in three Neil would. This kid was going to keep the Foxes in Championships. He would be Court. No one played like that and just stopped over night, no matter what caused it. Ari would be there. Ari would play again.  
“Thought you had to have him.” Wymack said.  
“He’s a has been coach,” Andrew said. “Burned out too soon.” He said with mock pity.  
“He’ll take over to Neil when he graduates. He’ll get to Court.” Kevin said.  
“Getting him there though is going to be hard.” Neil said.  
"Harder than you?” Andrew asked.  
“Fuck you,” Neil shot back.  
“Save the foreplay for later,” Wymack said. “Get in the SUV, I need a drink after dealing with you three assholes.” 

Kevin paced the small airport lounge, their boarding time was in 10 minutes and Ari hadn’t shown yet. If Nicky was here he would have three bets going on weather he’d show or not. But he was thankfully with Andrew, who hadn’t spoken since they left the hotel, and Neil who was equally as quiet.  
“Kevin will you sit down,” Wymack sighed.  
“We’re screwed if he doesn’t show up.” Kevin said.  
He hated they recruited such unreliable people. Kids with hard backgrounds were hard to trust on principle because they didn’t know how to stick with anything. One of their striker subs left after a year, being sent to jail and the other had spent most of last season on the sidelines with a broken ankle. He just wanted an easy year, He wanted to not stress over every single game.  
“Now boarding for South Carolina, Sections 1-3,” The flight attendant said over the speaker.  
Kevin looked down the empty walk way and sighed. They were screwed. He followed the others into line and crossed his arms angrily. Ari wasn’t coming.  
A moment later someone jogged up beside Kevin and he looked over.  
“Traffic, am I right?” Ari asked panting. He handed his carry on bag to Kevin wordlessly and bent over to retie his shoes after security.  
“Oh hooo,” Andrew said. “Look it coach, he made it.”  
“About time,” Wymack said over his shoulder. “Come on we’re holding up the line.”


	3. Chapter 3

Kevin tried his best to pay attention to the Exy game on his computer, but even with his headphones on, real or imagined, he could still hear the loud noises and screams from the video game Nicky and Aaron were playing. Normally he didn’t have to deal with this anymore, if Nicky or Aaron declared a video game night they usually went to their dorm room, but when the dorms were closed for the summer, Kevin had no choice but to endure it. He jumped at a rather loud crash and stood up dumping his laptop off his lap. He pulled his headphones off and stalked out of the room. He walked down the hallway to the living room.  
“Fucking turn it down!” Kevin snapped.   
Nicky nearly jumped out of his skin at the loud intrusion. “It’s not loud,”  
“Turn it down!” Kevin yelled.  
“Jesus,” Aaron said and turned the TV down. “Go to Dan’s!”  
“Fuck you,” Kevin said. “You don’t need the TV loud enough for the whole house to hear you.”  
“Do you want me to take you to Dan’s?” Neil asked  
Kevin turned quickly, Neil stood behind him in the mouth of the hallway; he hadn’t even heard Neil approach. “No,” When Andrew appeared behind Neil Kevin rolled his eyes. “Tell them to turn it down,” he said and pushed passed Neil and Andrew.   
Kevin slammed his door and flopped back on the bed. Maybe he should just go to Dan’s. He could banish Ari to the couch for the night and take over Renee’s room since she wasn’t using it. When the girls graduated, Wymack promoted Dan to Assistant Coach. She had three bedroom apartment she shared with Allison and Renee. Renee was hardly ever there, she was doing mission work in third world countries. Matt didn’t move in with them last May when he graduated, he was signed with a professional team and moved to Florida, but he was there often enough to have things stored there. He even promised to make it to their first game.  
Kevin was surprised that Dan turned down a professional life as an Exy player to coach their team, but her role as Captain transitioned smoothly to Assistant Coach, it was the right fit for her. Another loud scream had Kevin back out of his bed. He threw open the bedroom door and stopped short.  
Ari blinked up at him then gave him a pretty smile. Ari wore his smile like Kevin wore his scowl. Both weren’t intentional, they were second nature. A tick to protect themselves, Kevin saw it, but he didn’t know what Ari was protecting himself from.  
“Allison dropped me off,” He said at his presence at Abby’s. “I was hoping we could practice today?”  
“We practice every day,” Kevin said.  
Ari nodded, “We’ve been watching tapes, Dan and I,” he said. “You and Neil are a lot better than me.”  
“This will be our third year playing together,” Kevin said “And you haven’t held a racket in months.”  
“I should probably ask Neil this, since he’s Captain, but I need some help.” Ari said. “I need to catch up. Can you help me?”  
“You want me to help you?” Kevin asked. He hadn’t said more than two words to this kid since they came back to Palmetto and Kevin had seen Neil and Ari chatting during their unofficial summer practice.  
“You’re Kevin Day,” Ari shrugged. “I just don’t want to be behind. I know I’m only a sub, but I don’t want to let either of you down when I’m on the court with you.”  
“What? You want me to hold your hand through practices?” Kevin asked and looked away when Ari’s smile fell from his face. “I’m not your personal Exy coach. We brought you here to play. Ask Dan, who’s your coach. Ask Neil who’s your captain. I don’t need to carry another stryker through the season.”  
Ari nodded, “You’re right, thank you for including me in your practices before the season starts.”  
A loud bang bang bang from the video game sent Ari into a panic and he jumped landing nearly in Kevin’s arms. Kevin caught him, taken back and blinked. “It’s just the video game,” Kevin said softly, but the loud bangs made him jump too.  
Ari pulled back quickly and fixed his shirt. “Sorry, caught me off guard.” He said then smiled. Kevin was sure now that Ari’s smile was a mask. There was no way he could go from a panic that intense to such a pretty smile so close to each other.  
Kevin sighed, he was going to hate himself for this, “We have night practice. Neil, Andrew and I. Come if you want.”  
Ari looked up at him and smiled, not quite as pretty as his forced smile, his eyes squinted almost shut and a dimple creased his cheek. “Really? I mean thank you.”  
“We’re not picking you up,” Kevin said. “I’ll text you when we leave for the court and if you get there you get there.”  
“No I’ll be there.” Ari nodded. “Thank you.”  
“Hey K-Pop!” Nicky called from the living room. “You promised us a round!”  
“I’m not Korean,” Ari called in a light tone as he went back down the hall.  



	4. Chapter 4

At 10 PM Andrew parked near the entrance of the Foxhole Court. Kevin wasn’t expecting Ari to be there, but he was waiting outside.  
“No keys little man?” Andrew asked as they got out.  
“I have like seven inches on you,” Ari said.  
“Still little, Hiro,” Andrew said and pushed passed him.  
Kevin followed Andrew and Neil inside. Ari chatted the whole time. Chatted down the hall to the locker room, chatted while they got changed, chatted while they got their sticks and balls, chatted while they walked onto the court. Andrew tolerated it until they entered the court then he turned and threw a ball as hard as he could at Ari’s head. Ari who was carrying his stick in his right hand and his helmet in his left dropped his racket and caught the ball an inch from his face. He tossed it underhand back at Andrew and bent over to get his racket, but he was finally quiet.  
“Alright let’s get started.” Kevin said and turned to Neil. Neil watched Ari with a squint, studying Ari hard. After a moment Neil slid his gaze to Kevin and gave him a look. Kevin wasn’t sure what he should have been seeing so he blinked. Neil shook his head and held up a hand as if to say later.  
They started off with warm ups then a few drills before he had them putting on their helmets and grabbing their sticks. Kevin worked with Ari on Raven drills while Neil and Andrew battled it out down the court on the away goal.  
“Your stick work sucks,” Kevin said. “You’re quick and you keep up during practices, but your racket needs to be an extension of your arm. You need to trust it like it’s a part of you.” He said as he set out cones. He stood and looked at Ari who was passing his stick back and forth between his hands with the end of it on the court floor. “You fumble with it. That won’t work here, this racket needs to be as natural as your own arms. Every other striker on this team can pass and shoot on goal quickly and accurately. I won’t have it on my court and neither will Neil or Wymack. This exercise you are going to do until you perfect it. You’re not going to perfect it tonight, but I’m not teaching you anything until you can knock three of the six cones down. If that means you spend all practice on this tonight, that’s what we do.”  
“Alright,” Ari frowned.  
Kevin explained the exercise quickly and showed him a few visuals. He did it first with his left hand. He passed the ball off the wall and hit the cones one by one. After Ari set it back up he did it again with his right hand. “By the time you graduate you’ll be able to do it with both hands. Start with your right, it’s your dominate.”  
“Can Neil do both hands?” Ari asked.  
“Most of the time. His left hand is weaker and he doesn’t have nearly the speed he does with his right. What are you standing there for? Get to work.” Kevin said and stood back to watch Ari. Kevin watched a frown tugging at his lips as Ari tried again and again to knock a cone down. By his 4th round both of them were getting frustrated.  
Ari tossed his racket down and shook out his right hand when he finished his 5th round without knocking any cones down. He swore in Japanese and kicked at a cone.  
“Getting angry will not help you,” Kevin said to him in Japanese. Answering back in Japanese was automatic, but It felt odd to speak it after almost two full years without it in his life. He hadn’t seen Riko or any of the Moriyama family since their first championship win. After Riko’s arm was broken by Andrew to protect Neil, Riko hadn’t been back on the court. The Ravens were still a formidable opponent, but they didn’t nearly have the flawless record they had before. Not without The Master and Riko on the court.   
“Guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” Ari said back. “After your time with the Ravens I mean.”   
“I didn’t think you spoke Japanese” Kevin said. Ariato and Koji’s parents came from Japan before they were born. When they were 8 their parents died in a car accident and without any other family the twins were sent into Foster Care. When they were 10 they ended up in Coach Steven Phillips, the Breckenridge Jackals coach. They both played Exy since. Ari was the star out of the two, but Koji was good. They both could have made it, if Koji hadn’t….  
“We spoke it together,” Ari said softly. “Reminded us of them.”  
Kevin assumed he meant their parents and he cleared his throat. “Get back to work. Three cones before I teach you anything else.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Somethings off with him,” Neil said from Andrew’s passenger seat as they pulled out of the Foxhole courts parking lot   
“There’s nothing off,” Andrew said. “He’s chatty. There is never something off with someone who’s chatty”   
“No,” Neil said. “Somethings up with him.”   
“Like what?” Andrew asked  
“I’m not sure yet,” Neil said.   
“When you figure it out tell me,” Kevin said from the backseat.   
“Oh come on! There’s no way I’m the most trusting person in this car,” Andrew said. “The only thing that’s wrong with him is that he’s a Foster kid who’s used to making sure he doesn’t step on anyones toes.”   
“The fake smile?” Kevin asked  
“People pleaser,” Andrew said with a wave of his hand. “Two kind of people come out of foster care. Pissed as hell” Andrew said holding up one finger “Or they will thank you for killing their pet hamster,” he said holding up a second finger. “Ari is the second.”   
In bed Kevin looked up at the ceiling and listened to the sound of Andrew and Neil sleep. He looked at the sharp white lined scar on the back of his left hand in the moonlight from the window and anxiety pulled at him. No. He wouldn’t go back there tonight. He had to sleep. In two days they were moving back on campus and the all the Foxes would be back. He needed to be ready. Rested. He didn’t need to think about Riko.   
Kevin pulled out his phone and texted a “Thinking about you” message to Thea. He saw the message turn from unread to read, but there wasn’t a reply. He sighed and dropped the phone back on his chest. He closed his eyes tight and willed himself to fall asleep. 

The trill of his phone woke him up earlier than he wanted the next morning. Mornings were awful. He blearily looked at his phone and saw a message from Wymack. ‘We need to talk’ it said. Kevin wanted to roll over and fall asleep again, but the message stayed with him. Something felt off. After two years with Wymack, one of them with the truth of who exactly Kevin’s father was out, Kevin was learning to read Wymack. He wasn’t as good as Andrew, but he could do a passable job. Wymack’s tone was off. There wasn’t his normal gruff get out of bed or good morning sunshine before the actual intended text came through. This meant one thing. Bad news.   
He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The bed on the other side of the room was empty. So he got up and went in search of Andrew and Neil. He found them in the kitchen, leaning close to each other over cups of coffee. They pulled apart when Kevin walked in and he put up a hand in apology as he went to the coffee pot.   
“Coach wants to see me” Kevin said. He turned and leaned on the counter and he sipped on his coffee. “Want to come?”   
“Its either that or you driving my car and that’s not going to happen,” Andrew said.   
“We can wake Aaron and Nicky and get breakfast after?” Neil asked  
“I don’t know if this is a conversation Coach wants with everyone,” Kevin said.   
“Whats going on?” Neil asked.   
Andrew leaned back in his chair and watched Kevin as if Kevin already knew the conversation.   
“I don’t know,” Kevin said. “Texted we had to talk.”   
“Just like that? Just we have to talk?” Neil asked.   
Neil shrugged and took another drink. He watched Neil look at Andrew and Andrew turn his head towards Neil. They did this. They had silent conversations.   
Kevin put up with it for as long as it took for him to finish his coffee and pushed off the counter. “Five minutes and we’re going.” 

Wymack never locked his door, but Neil always had the decency to knock, even if Andrew pushed past him and walked in a moment later. Wymack was at his kitchen table, newspaper open in front of him, empty coffee cup next to him.   
“We need to talk,” he said when he spotted the three. “Riko is the Ravens new assistant coach.”   
“What?” Kevin asked.   
Riko hadn’t just been sidelined after Andrew broke his arm while protecting Neil, he disappeared from public view. He wasn’t on the Ravens lineup last year and no one from the press could find him. When the news broke that the Master had stepped down Kevin thought the Moriyama’s were closing rank and Ichirou had brought both of them somewhere out of public eye.   
“Im telling you this before the ERC makes it public.” Wymack said.   
“Even after everything he’s done the ERC is just letting him walk back into Exy?” Neil asked.  
“Allegedly done,” Wymack said then held up his hand when Neil opened his mouth the argue. “The only thing they have proof he did was take a swing at you after Championships. Everything else is rumors in their eyes.”   
“No,” Kevin shook his head. “No he—” Andrew put a hand on his shoulder and forced him into a chair across from Wymack.  
“He doesn’t have the claim of innocence he once had, Kevin.” Wymack said “He’s on thin ice.”   
“I can’t do this again,” Kevin said.  
“You can,” Wymack said. “And you will.”   
“Coach,”   
“No. Your team needs you. You will deal with this. You will talk to Betsy and deal.” Wymack said. “I’m putting in a request with the ERC that he can’t be at our games unless we are playing the Ravens. I won’t tolerate him trying to rile us like he did before by showing up to games he’s not involved with.”   
“The ERC won’t stop him.”   
“But we belong to Ichirou now,” Neil said. “He can’t go against his brother. Not with everything in the open between them.”   
“You don’t know him,” Kevin said.   
“Kevin,” Andrew said. “Have I ever let him touch you?”   
Kevin blinked up at Andrew, some of the tension easing from his shoulders. Three years ago Andrew made a promise to him and he was still keeping it. He stood between him and Riko. Kevin didn’t think he could ever repay him. He could give Andrew every part of him and it would never be enough.   
“He’s all alone.” Wymack said. “He doesn’t have the pull he once had. All he has is bravado. Unfortunately you’re not the only one he has a hard on for,” Wymack said and looked at Neil. “You behave. If the press asks anything about Riko you pretend you didn’t hear. If I hear one comment about Riko to the press I will sign you up for so many marathons your legs will fall off.”   
Neil raised his hands up in confirmation.   
“And you,” Wymack said pointing at Andrew “You can’t kill him. Don’t touch him. If you don’t keep 50 feet between you at all times when you’re in the same room as him you’ll be benched so fast it’ll make your head spin. Got me?”   
“I can throw a knife 50 feet,” Andrew said cooly.   
“Andrew Joseph Minyard.” Wymack started.   
“He won’t touch him.” Neil said and looked at Andrew. “But if he throws the first punch I can’t promise anything.”   
“Don’t you two fuck with me.” Wymack said. “Kevin. Kevin,” Wymack said again when Kevin didn’t look at him. “You are not allowed to close down over this. You have 24 hours before the team gets here. 48 hours until practices start. You have 24 hours to be alright with this. Tomorrow at 11am you will be Kevin Fucking Day, not a scared boy lost in the Ravens Nest, you hear me?”   
“I-”   
“Tell me yes coach.”   
“Dad—”   
Wymack’s eyes softened and Kevin heard Andrew and Neil walk from the room. He hadn’t meant to say it, He hadn’t meant the first time he called Wymack dad to be over this. He hadn’t meant to call him anything other than Coach at all.   
Wymack moved to the chair next to him and worked his jaw for a few moments. He reached over without looking at Kevin and put a hand on Kevin’s forearm. “I want to protect you with this, but I can’t. This is out of my hands, but I’ll be damned if I let you fall.”  
Kevin nodded and swallowed hard.   
“I know I said you’re my player first and my son second when Exy is involved.” Wymack said. “I hope you know I didn’t mean it.”   
Kevin nodded again and looked down at Wymack’s hand on his arm.   
“You’ll get through this,” Wymack said. “And you’ll be stronger for it. You are not weak. You are not broken. You’re scared yes, but you are better and stronger man than you were at Evermore. This is where you soar. You thrive under pressure. Use it.”   
Kevin took a deep breath and nodded.   
“And if you need anything….”   
“I know,” Kevin said. “I know, thank you.”   
“You will get through this.” Wymack said and squeezed his arm.


	6. Chapter 6

When Kevin decided to get drunk over having practice Nicky invited Ari to Abby’s for movies and ice cream. He was his normal pleasant self and Kevin thought of Andrews words that he was a people pleaser. Maybe that’s why he rubbed Kevin the wrong way. He wasn’t used to having to please anyone. Even in Riko’s cruel care he never aimed to please. Kevin expected the best from every player and never apologized for it. Ari apologized if you brushed past him on the way to the kitchen. He apologized if he took up too much space on the couch. Maybe Andrew was right. Andrew was the most suspicious person Kevin ever knew and if he thought Ari was harmless, then maybe he was. Neil was still on guard with the new Striker though. When Neil didn’t trust someone, they were never out of his field of vision. When Ari went into the kitchen Neil side stepped and perched on the end of the couch near Andrew. When Ari was in the living room he turned his whole body towards him as if Ari was a snake ready to attack.  
Kevin wasn’t sure if Ari didn’t see it or if he pretended not to, but despite the constant apologies his shoulders were relaxed. He poked at Aaron, laughed loud with Nicky and tried his best to small talk with Andrew and Neil but stopped short at being chatty with them.  
Around midnight the alcohol was wearing off and Ari caught Kevin in a conversation about Exy when they were both in the kitchen. 10 minutes later they were sat cross legged on Kevin’s bed with Kevin’s laptop on the bed in front of them. For growing up inside the Jackals inner circle he was surprisingly green when it came to knowing the other Exy college teams.  
After two weeks with the team Ari’s stick work was getting better, but he was far from where Kevin needed him to be. As they watched highlights of Exy striker impossible moves from last season on youtube, Kevin thought back to the tape he watched of Ari on the court. Thought about his graceful lines and how he could pass and shoot with barely a second to square up and shoot. That Ari was no where near where this Ari was. He knew some players needed the buzz of a game to become great and really let loose on the court, but he wasn’t sure if that was Ari’s playing style. There were clips of him during practice too and that same graceful power was there.  
“Is it nerves?” Kevin asked not looking up from his screen.  
“What?”  
“Why you fumble around the court like you don’t know how to hold a Racket.” Kevin said and looked at him. “Is it nerves?”  
“Maybe,” Ari said and looked back at the laptop. “I’m used to being the best.” He said in a flat tone.  
“Well, in high school you were,” Kevin said “This is the big leagues and it only gets tougher.”  
“I know,” Ari nodded. “I won’t let you down.”  
Andrew and Neil came in the room and Andrew turned off the light as Neil climbed into their bed. Ari moved as if he was getting up, but Kevin put a hand on his arm. He pulled out his earbuds and plugged them in. He offered one to Ari and put the other in his own ear.  
Ari smiled, just a little and moved closer to put the ear bud in. Kevin started the next video. 

The next morning Nicky burst through the bedroom door “Coffee’s on! Get it while its hot” he said and disappeared again.  
Kevin lifted his head and groaned. His body hurt. He fell asleep sitting up against the headboard. He glanced at the body next to him, head on his shoulder, knees slumped over on his thigh.  
“Ari,” Kevin said and moved his shoulder  
Ari sat up quickly a hand coming up between them. He blinked at Kevin then around the room. “Did we fall asleep?” he squinted, his voice rough with sleep.  
“Yeah,” Kevin said and rubbed his face.  
Ari groaned and leaned back against the headboard again.  
“Come on,” Kevin said and got off the bed. He stretched and yawned. “We have to be to the stadium in half an hour.”  
Ari got up and stumbled towards the bathroom, still bleary eyed and half hung over from the night before.  
“Can’t hold your liquor K-pop?” Nicky asked.  
“Still not Korean,” Ari said a moment before the bathroom door shut behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

The team took the news of Riko assistant coaching for the Ravens as good at Kevin thought they would. Dan and Wymack tried to settle the team down as best they could, but they were angry. Some weren’t on the team to see the year that Riko tormented them, but they all knew the fall out. The only one who didn’t seemed phased by it was Andrew. Even Ari, who’s knowledge of college Exy dynamics was limited knew to be angry.   
Andrew was the calm in the storm that Kevin desperately clung too. He made it easier for Kevin to breathe. The dorms also soothed Kevin’s nerves. He roomed with Andrew and Neil. Aaron, Nicky and Ari were next door and the rest of the Foxes lined up down the hallway. Kevin hadn’t cared enough to learn the order yet.   
Nicky was excited. He had taken to Ari and dragged the kid around whenever he could. Nicky seemed to laugh more with Ari and his touchy nature was better suited for Ari than his cousins. Ari let Nicky hang on him, let him collapse against him laughing and not long after Ari started doing it back. If Nicky hadn’t talked about Erik every other sentence he’d think something was going on, but it seemed he was still very much in love with his boyfriend in Germany.   
“You’re getting close with Nicky,” Kevin said one evening during their night practices.   
Ari lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “It’s nice to have a friend.”   
“He has a boyfriend,”   
“Erik,” Ari nodded and passed a ball off the wall aiming at a cone. “I know, we face timed him before practice tonight.”   
“So you’re not interested in him?”   
Ari laughed, a real laugh, he tipped his face up towards Kevin, his eyes smiling as much as his mouth. “No!”   
“No?”   
“No way,” Ari said and tapped Kevin’s shin guard with his racket. “We’re just friends. I just met him and I can say kissing him would be like kissing my grandmother.”   
“You didn’t know your grandmother,” Kevin said.  
“Rude,” Ari said and bumped Kevin’s chest with the head of his racket a few times “Neither did you Mr. Day”   
“Did I tell you to stop practicing? All 6 this time remember?”   
“You” Ari said pointing at him as he got back into position “Are a slave driver.”   
“Slaves would listen better,” Kevin said.  
“You are too white for such a remark,” Ari said and passed the ball off the wall towards Kevin.   
Kevin caught it with a snort. “Quit messing around,”   
“How are you feeling about this whole Riko thing?” Ari asked after a couple of failed passes of getting all 6 cones.   
Kevin side eyed him. He wasn’t used to talking to anyone about his personal issues. “Eh,” Kevin shrugged as he pushed the balls back towards Ari.   
“So what happened between you two?” Ari asked. “Bad break up?”   
“What?” Kevin asked “No we weren’t dating.”   
“Oh,” Ari said. “Good, he seems horrible.”   
“He is,” Kevin said softly.   
“Sorry, I’m chatting again.” Ari said.   
“I know,” Kevin said. “I mean I don’t want him to give up his dream. He loves Exy as much as I do.” Kevin said after a moment. “But the other part of me is glad that he has the life now that he wanted for me. Coaching. He was so mad when I joined the foxes then furious when I was on the line up. He wanted me to coach. Not play.”   
“And here you are,” Ari said “Must feel good.”   
“Its terrifying,” Kevin said softly looking down at his gloved hand like he could see the scars Riko left on his hand. “The only person here who has a bit of understanding is Neil because he was alone with Riko. He saw Riko at his worst.”   
“I don’t know if I believe people are who they are at the their worst,” Ari said. “For that matter their best either. I think people show you who they are by simple things.”   
“Like what?” Kevin asked.   
“I don’t know.” Ari said. “If they smile at babies, if they pet a dog who’s smelling their hand. How they react to those stupid ASPCA commercials,”   
Kevin snorted out a laugh   
“Monster’s aren’t always monsters,” Ari said. “At least that’s what I tell myself, but its harder to convince yourself your monster is just a person than it is to realize someone else’s is.”   
“Do you have a monster?”   
“I grew up in foster care,” Ari smiled, “I have a couple.”   
Kevin frowned and thought about Andrew and Drake. Neil and his father. Was Riko Kevins monster? Or was all of his time at Evermore his monster?   
“I guess I See your point” Kevin agreed. “Riko was not always horrible.”   
“You don’t have to try to make him a decent person Kevin,” Ari said. “He’s horrible and insecure. I bet to someone like that you were hard to live next to.”  
“What do you mean?” Kevin asked  
“Think about it. I bet he didn’t even offer you number 1 did he? I be that numbers were his idea. So everyone had a visual representation of the ranking he wanted everyone to know.” Ari said. “When everyone already knew you were number one.”   
“He was jealous when he broke my hand.” Kevin nodded. This made sense to him. Now that he was away from the situation he could see more and more how unraveled that jealousy made Riko become.   
“Well you were his biggest competition.” Ari said. “He tried to take out the competition but still wanted your knowledge on his side.He’s not stupid. He knows your better , but if you couldn’t play you would poor all your energy into making him better.”   
“He wanted me there because I belonged to him.” Kevin said.   
“You two grew up together. Its hard being alone suddenly when someone was always there. Even if you hated them.”   
“Did you and your brother get jealous of each other?” Kevin asked.  
“Oh he had no reason to be jealous of me,” Ari said. “He was always better. I was never jealous of him though, his successes were mine too”   
“I thought you were the better one,” Kevin blinked.   
Ari looked up at him, face unreadable. After a moment he looked away panic streaking across his face, but then the smile was back. Kevin thought they were passed that smile. “He could play every position.” Ari said. “Me? I knew I wanted to be a Striker from the moment I saw an Exy game. Koji loved every part of the game. He wanted to know how to do everything. So he did and I was better for it because I had a goalie, backlines, striker and dealer in one person I could practice against any time I wanted.”   
“How come he didn’t want to play in college?” Kevin asked after a long silence.   
Ari’s face went unreadable again as he looked out into the empty stands. “He did.”  
“So why did he do it?” Kevin asked.   
Ari pulled in a long breath “Next time I see him I’ll ask him for you.”   
God that response reminded him of Andrew, he rolled his eyes and watched Ari work on drills. “I always knew I wanted to be a Striker too.” Kevin said to fill the silence. “I guess we have that in common.”   
Ari smiled, not the fake smile, but it was a polite one. He looked over at Neil coming their way and his pretty smile was back. “Time to run!”   
“You gonna catch me this time?” Neil asked.   
“Maybe!” Ari smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

Kevin was not looking forward to the fall banquet. It would be the first time he saw Riko since the met in Finals two years ago. It would be the first time they were meeting as something other than two players.  
Andrew tolerated his nerves as well as Kevin thought he would. Andrew would be by his side, but he wouldn’t hold his hand. He followed his team off the buss shaking out the nerves in his hands.  
Kevin nearly ran into Ari as he stopped abruptly outside the bus. He followed Ari’s line of gaze and saw the Jackals bus already parked down the lot. The tension in Ari’s body nearly radiated against Kevin and made him sweep the lot for the Ravens bus. It wasn’t here yet.  
“What’s the hold up?” Andrew asked and pushed around Kevin’s bigger body. He stopped next to Ari and looked him over. “Foster kid.” He said and nudged Ari back into reality. “Get a move on,” he said when Ari looked his way.  
Ari moved, but in a way that said every inch of him wanted to get back on that bus. Maybe there was more to Ari’s abrupt move in April than he let on. Kevin glanced at Andrew and thought he was suspecting the same thing. Andrew tracked Ari with his eyes as he caught up to Nicky and hooked his arm through his.  
“What was that?” Neil asked.  
Andrew shook his head eyes still on Ari. “Don’t know, but I’ll find out.”  
“Find out on your own time.” Wymack said around a cigarette. “Get your stupid asses inside to change.” 

Penn States Stadium was larger than the Foxhole Court, but smaller than the Ravens Nest. After the team changed they stepped foot onto the court and looked at the teams already there. Due to good traffic they made good time and got there earlier than expected. Kevin hung close to Andrew and Neil as they walked towards their table.  
Dan appeared at his side “How are you feeling?” she asked  
“Fine,” Kevin said automatically.  
“Pretty sure I’m talking to Kevin Day, not Neil right?” Dan asked. “How are you?”  
“I’m fine,” Kevin repeated. “Right now I’m okay.”  
“Don’t go anywhere without Andrew or Neil alright?” Dan asked, but it wasn’t a question.  
“Like they’d let me,” Kevin answered softly.  
At their table Andrew lingered behind Ari’s seat and leaned down getting into his personal space. Ari turned his head towards Andrew’s words, but his eyes stayed on the Jackals table, their backs to the Foxes. Ari nodded wordlessly before Andrew straightened.  
“What was that?” Kevin asked when Andrew sat at his side.  
“Told him we’re talking later and he’s going to start telling the truth.” Andrew said.  
“So you believe me now?” Neil asked from Kevin’s otherwise.  
“120 percent,” Andrew said cooly. 

The Ravens came and sat without any fanfare, but Kevin still tracked Riko walking with the other Coaches. Riko didn’t turn towards him, Kevin didn’t know if that made him angrier or relieved. He knew better than to let his guard down. After dinner the tables were moved and the Foxes were waved off by Wymack to mingle.  
Aaron, Kaitlin, Nicky and Ari disappeared towards the dance floor. Andrew watched, but didn’t follow. He stayed next to Kevin, which Kevin was thankful for. They mingled, staying away from the Ravens and Riko. At one point Kevin ducked into the bathroom, grateful he wasn’t followed. He stared at his reflection and the queen tattoo on his cheek. The tattoo once a middle finger to Riko every time he saw it, but Kevin hadn’t done the ink change on a whim. He wanted to show Riko just how defiant he was now that he wasn’t a Raven, but every once in a while, the black image sent a chill down his spine. He set his shoulders and moved his gaze to his own eyes in the mirror. “You’re not a Raven. You are a Fox. You are your own person. No one holds you.” He said to himself, words he came up with Betsy Dobson, to ease the anxiety. Tonight, it wasn’t working. Not with Riko so close.  
He exited the bathroom and Neil and Andrew weren’t there, but Riko was. His arms were loose at his side and he tipped his head at Kevin’s arrival. Kevin froze, just outside the bathroom door and it hit him in the back as it closed. He thought about retreating back inside, but the small room was a trap.  
Riko took a step towards him then a body moved between him and Riko.  
“Riko,” Ari said then continued in Japanese. “I hear you’re coaching this year.”  
Riko stopped, shocked by the intervention and even more shocked by the Japanese being spoken.  
Ari was tall enough that Kevin couldn’t see much or Riko’s smaller frame in front of him.  
“Who are you?” Riko asked back in Japanese.  
“Ariato Hiro,” Ari said without offering his hand. “Fox sub striker.”  
“Shame about your brother,” Riko said cooly. “Heard you found him. What was that like?”  
Ari took a step closer to Riko and Kevin could hear the smile in his voice “Shame about your arm how it ended your career. How does that feel? Taking yourself out of the game, too bad you’re not Kevin. Kevin was back on the court by this time, coach.” He said back, the coach mocking.  
The noise Riko made was angry and threatening. “What did you just say to me?”  
“Listen Riko, I don’t appreciate you cornering Kevin. I’m going to ask you to go back to your team.” Ari said in a tone Kevin hadn’t heard from him before.  
“Kevin,” Riko started  
“Oh no,” Ari said. “You talk to me. Not him. Before you and I start off on the wrong foot, I will ask you again. Go back to your team.”  
“Riko,” Andrew’s voice sounded from behind Riko and Riko turned quickly. “Apparently your listening skills are as bad as you’re playing skills. Pretty sure the ERC forbid you from talking to my teammates.”  
Ari pulled his phone out and tapped out a message before he slipped it back into his pocket.  
“Go away,” Riko said in English. “This has nothing to do with you, I’m here to talk to Kevin.”  
“Kevin can’t come to the phone right now,” Andrew said. “Better leave your message with me.”  
Ari turned his back on Riko and looked up at Kevin. “Let’s go.”  
“What?” Kevin asked.  
“Andrew and Neil have this right?” Ari asked not looking away from Kevin. Kevin tried to look past Ari, but he moved back into his line of vision.  
“We have this,” Neil said.  
“Coach is coming.” Ari took Kevin’s hand and pulled him away from Riko without a second glance. Andrew and Neil made a barricade as Ari pulled Kevin away, Wymack passed them, phone in hand and murder in his eyes. “Go to Abby, she’ll take you to the bus. We’re right behind you”  
Kevin walked with Ari, loose hand gripped in Ari’s smaller one. Later, he’d remember the way Ari’s grip tightened when they passed a group of players from the Jackals, but right now, he walked on numb feet.  
Abby appeared on Kevin’s otherwise and lead them to the bus. She unlocked it and Ari pulled Kevin on and deposited him into a seat.  
“It’s alright,” Abby soothed him.  
“Its not alright.” Kevin gasped out. He leaned his head in his hands, his elbows digging into his knees. His breath hitched.  
“Kevin, you’re having a panic attack.” Ari said. “I’m going to touch you, it’s just me.” He said slowly and checked his pulse point on his wrist then rubbed his back as he sank into the seat next to him. He moved in close, so Kevin could feel his breath on his ear as he spoke. “Think of the court. Think of that perfect shot. The one you know you can always make. Can you picture it?”  
Kevin nodded.  
“I want you to think of that second. That second that time stops and its just you and the goal. That moment where life makes sense. That moment where you know your purpose and you know that you are in control.”  
Kevin’s breathing slowed as he listened to Ari. He reached over and grabbed onto one of Ari’s hands and clasped it to his chest. Ari wrapped his other arm around Kevin’s back, his chin on his shoulder  
“You know this moment. You live in this moment. This is the moment you feed off of until your life makes sense again.” Ari whispered. “No one can touch you. No one can take away your will, no one can hurt you.”  
He didn’t hear the rest of the team come onto the bus, he just heard Ari’s soft words, saying that no one could touch him over and over. He opened his eyes when he realized the bus was moving.  
Andrew stood behind Ari, leaned over a white knuckle grip on the seat in front of them. He nodded at Andrew that he was alright. After a long moment, Andrew sat in the seat behind him with Neil. Ari started to pull away but Kevin tightened his grip on his hand and Ari moved back into Kevin’s space. He didn’t know why the calm of the other boy helped him in that moment, but Kevin wasn’t going to let him move from that spot.  
Ari tucked a leg under himself, wrapped his arm around Kevin’s shoulder and leaned into him, his head back on his shoulder. Kevin closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat.  
“No one can touch me,” he muttered.


	9. Chapter 9

The opening game of the season was away against the Bearcats. They arrived to the stadium half an hour before the doors opened and the Foxes buzzed with game day excitement, with two notable exceptions. Andrew, who sat quietly and Ari, who had his earbuds in and his eyes closed as he stretched in the corner.  
When Wymack came over Nicky tapped Ari and he took his earbuds out for Wymacks pep talk.  
“Alright listen up maggots.” Wymack said clapping his hands. He went through the line up quickly, but paused to make sure everyone knew their starting places and subs. Kevin and Neil were starting, Ari was on for Neil. Neil and Ari would start second half and Kevin would come back for the end of the game. Kevin glanced at Ari, he looked like he was going to be sick. Kevin nodded at him. If he remembered his training, Ari would do fine. He wouldn’t do great yet, but it was the first game. They had time. Wymack had told Kevin again and again he couldn’t expect perfection. Kevin always ended that line with a ‘yet’. By the time they got to finals he’d have that perfection, or any team member lacking wouldn’t step foot on his court.  
When the buzzer sounded for half time, the Foxes were ahead 6 to 3. Ari hadn’t scored yet, but his passing lessons were paying off. Being the new Striker on the court, his backliner wasn’t taking it easy on Ari and he had more spills on the court than anyone else on the team. Time and time again Ari was sent sprawling across the floor or had his racket knocked out of his hands.  
During the second half, while Kevin watched from the bench, he noticed just how different Ari’s playing style was from the tapes he watched. He still had that graceful movement, where he was almost dancing across the floor and each movement looked as if it was easy for him. But, unlike his tapes of him gliding past his backliner mark, Ari pushed right through him. Maybe it was Ari’s frustration finally showing from being pushed around during first half, but when Neil’s backliner was able to recover a ball from a pass up the court from Andrew, Ari was there. He body slammed the backliner and sent him sprawling. Kevin hadn’t taught him that move, Kevin hadn’t seen him ever go after a hit like that during practice. Strikers mostly worked on the offense but that move was defensive. The subs and the Fox fans went wild.  
Neil recovered the ball and scored. The buzzer sound hadn’t even ended before Ari’s backliner was in his’s face with jabbing fingers at his hard hit to his teammate. Ari didn’t give ground, but he didn’t jab at his backliner. It wasn’t until the backliner smacked his racket from his hand that Ari reacted at all. By the time the referees got there, Neil and the other backliner were also involved. All four walked away with yellow cards. Ari grabbed his fallen racket and glared at the backliner all the way to the door as he was subbed out for Kevin.  
“You threw the first punch,” Kevin said when Ari stopped in front of him. “You could have been given a red card and we need you next week. Don’t pull that shit again.”  
“Go to hell,” Ari snapped as he pushed passed him.  
The Foxes won by 6 points. Ari had gotten over his fight and joined the subs on the court for a celebration.  
Andrew curled a glove at Ari after the handshake and Ari moved from Nicky to Andrew. “I don’t know why you’re a Striker if you can lay a backliner that’s has 50 pounds on you out like that.”  
“It was a lucky shot,” Ari said back.  
“You throw a first punch again and I’m pulling you from the game.” Neil said. “We’re don’t have a fourth striker for another two games. And that’s if Abby clears her after her cast is off.”  
“I know, Kevin already yelled at me.” Ari said.  
“Too bad, I’m yelling at you now,” Neil said and knocked his stick gently against Ari’s helmet. “Run your mouth until they hit first.”  
“Neil and Kevin you're on press duty,” Wymack said. “Don’t start shit unless you want to run a marathon. The rest of you get in the showers you stink.” 

Early the next morning a loud pounding sounded on the dorm room door. Kevin groaned and turned over in his bed, but then his phone started to ring, while the pounding continued.  
Andrew was the first out of bed and Nicky’s panicked voice filled the room a moment before he burst in. “Help! We can’t get him up”  
“What’s going on?” Neil asked getting out of bed.  
“Get who up?” Kevin asked as he sat up. “What time is it?”  
“Ari overdosed,” Nicky said.  
“What?” Neil asked and ran out of the room behind Andrew.  
Kevin was a few steps behind. “Did you call 911?” He asked sliding open his phone.  
“I’m panicking! Aaron told me to get Andrew,” Nicky said.  
Kevin called 911 and held the phone up to his ear. He stopped in the doorway and saw Aaron kneeling over Ari and holding him on his side.  
“Is he alive?” Kevin asked as Andrew grabbed Ari by the face and checked for a pulse. There was puke on the front of his shirt and he was so pale. “Andrew!” he snapped as the operator answered.


	10. Chapter 10

The waiting room was nearly empty this time of morning. The dull grays of dawn had turned into the glow of early morning and light bounced off the white tiled floor making the bland room look almost cheery.  
Kevin felt like he had been gutted, he felt hollow and numb. He sat with a hand over his eyes, his elbow leaned on the arm of his chair. Wymack had been brought in back for an update almost an hour ago and wasn’t back yet. Kevin thought if he had to wait much longer he was going to have a heart attack.  
Ari was breathing when the EMT’s arrived, Aaron and Andrew got him to puke again and kept an eye on his heart beat, but he had a seizure on the way to hospital. That was the last update they had almost three hours ago.  
“I don’t understand.” Neil said. “What did you three do last night? I thought everyone was going to bed after the party.”  
“We did,” Aaron said next to a shell shocked Nicky. Nicky had stopped crying, but he still looked shuddered and red eyed.  
“Then how did this happen?” Dan asked.  
“We were in bed and he gets a phone call,” Aaron said. “From the sound of it, it wasn’t a good one.”  
“Who was it?” Dan asked  
“Don’t know.” Aaron said. “Nicky followed him into the other room when Ari got up, but he couldn’t get any answers.”  
“What did he say on the phone?” Neil asked.  
“Just said he was sorry a lot,” Aaron said. “That he didn’t have anything new.”  
“What does that mean?” Dan asked  
“How the fuck do I know?” Aaron asked. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “He got off the phone, came back to the bedroom for a few minutes then got up to go to the bathroom. I woke up to Nicky trying to break down the bathroom door.”  
“Do you know where he got the pills?” Dan asked  
“The pills are his,” Nicky said, the first thing he said since they arrived. He sniffed and wiped at his eyes. “He doesn’t sleep good.”  
“They weren’t sleeping pills,” Andrew said from the window. He fished the bottle out of his hoodie pocket. He tossed the bottle to Dan.  
“He said these were sleeping pills?” Dan asked eyeing Nicky.  
“Yeah I found them in his bag when I was looking for his phone charger when we were still at Abby’s.” Nicky said. “He said since his brother died he had trouble sleeping so he took them when he needed help.”  
“Nuh uh,” Andrew said and pointed at the bottle in Dan’s hands. “I was on those pills for three years. They don’t make you sleep. Opposite actually, you remember don’t you Nicky?”  
“What?” Neil asked.  
“Lower dose. Much lower. Same drug.” Andrew said as Neil grabbed the bottle. “He’s taking happy pills and his names no where on the bottle.”  
“I saw him taking pills before class last week,” Aaron said. “ He said his knee was sore from night practice and that they were left over from the last season he played. He said they were 800 milligram ibuprofen.”  
“If anything his arms would be sore.” Kevin said. “I do mostly pass work with him.”  
“No,” Nicky said shaking his head. “This can’t be right. He’s not on drugs.”  
“He obviously is Nicky,” Dan said.  
“And something set him off enough last night to overdose on them.” Neil said.  
They stood when Wymack came back into the lobby. Wymack held a hand up to stop any questions. “He’s going to be fine.”  
“Oh thank God,” Nicky said and leaned on Dan. “Can I see him?”  
“He’s asleep, I can take you back one at at time. They are going to monitor him for the next 48 hours,” Wymack said.  
“Going to take longer than that coach,” Andrew said and nodded at the bottle as Neil handed it to Wymack.  
“Where did you get this?”  
“It’s his,” Andrew said “Name of the drug look familiar?”  
“God dammit.” Wymack swore. “We have his medical records. He’s not on anything. God dammit.” He repeated.  
“Don’t send him to Easthaven alright coach?” Andrew said. “Everyone knows what happens there” he said cheerfully.  
“Can it Minyard.” Wymack said and pulled out his phone. “Betsy, I need you down at the hospital… No Andrew didn’t kill anyone.”  
“Hi Bee,” Andrew called and leaned to Wymacks phone. Wymack turned and walked towards the exit, already pulling his cigarettes from his pocket.  
“Where’s his phone?” Neil asked.  
“Probably back at the dorm,” Aaron said.  
“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Andrew asked Neil.  
“We need to see who called,” Neil nodded. “Nicky does he have it password protected?”  
Nicky nodded and pulled out his own phone. “I’ll text you the password… I’m going to stay here. I want to be here when he wakes up.”  
“Aaron you going to let us in or am I picking the lock?” Andrew asked. 

Kevin looked at Ari’s bed, the rumpled covers, the forgotten socks stuffed against the footboard and the mattress and sighed. He felt like he didn’t know the striker he had spent that last few months with. The one who stood between him and Riko, the one who talked him down from the edge and stayed with him when he needed it. Ariato Hiro was a contradiction he couldn’t get out of his head.  
He turned and sat on the bed with a sigh. When he did he felt something poke into his his hip near the pillow. He lifted the pillow and blinked down at a photo album. He looked at the empty doorway before picking it up.  
He opened the photo album and flipped to the first picture. It was a team photo the year stamped on the bottom would have put it as Ari and Koji’s freshman year. Kevin found the brothers right away, in the middle, smiles on their faces. They looked so young, so happy. He flipped through the next few candid shots of team celebrations and games. The senior year pictures were the hardest to look at, Kevin knew what was coming and new the championship pictures wouldn’t be there. That the twins wouldn’t be smiling proudly in the center of the team.  
He stopped on a picture of the twins walking away from the camera, helmets off, rackets over their shoulders.  
A. Hiro number 1  
K. Hiro number 2  
Their faces were turned to each other, Koji’s head tipped back in a laugh. He looked so happy standing there with his brother. He flipped to the next picture and couldn’t help his smile. It was a picture of the brothers after a game, Ari with his pretty confident smile and Koji’s smiling so hard his eyes disappeared. He knew that smile. The one that was so big Koji’s eyes were just slits. Kevin knew they were twins, but God, they even smiled the same. It was so weird seeing Ari’s laugh on his brother’s face.  
He flipped back and saw a candid picture of Koji with another teammate, his slitted eye smile jumping at Kevin off the page. The next page was Ari with the same student, his pretty confident smile across his face. Kevin paused.  
He flipped back through the book. Every smile that Ari gave was cool and confident and pretty, even his real smiles he shared with his teammates. Kevin looked at Koji. Every smile that was posed was a carbon copy of Ari’s pretty smile. Every smile that wasn’t posed was that smile that Ari would turn up at him during practice, or while they sat shoulder to shoulder watching games on Kevin’s laptop. He’d seen it while Nicky and Ari belly laughed with each other. He’d seen it when Aaron and Andrew were hurling insults at each other, each one getting more outlandish. He’d seen it while Neil got a pop culture saying completely wrong and ironically asked Kevin something sexual.  
This was Ari’s smile. Ari’s smile that Kevin came to know as Ari’s real smile, not the mask he learned to put on.  
He flipped to more recent pictures of them and peered at the brothers. He covered the jersey’s with his hand and just looked at their faces. One was slim faced, one more square. The slim faced one looked delicate while the other looked harder. While they both were pretty rather than handsome, one had softer features and smoother lines while the other had harder lines and a tougher jaw. He moved his hand further down the picture. One had smaller shoulders while the other’s shoulders were square and broad, the kind used to firing balls at a goal. Kevin bet if he rewatched the tapes Ari’s high school coach sent he’d see A. Hiro gracefully side step his backliner and fire on goal with speed that made a goalie’s head spin, and he’d see K. Hiro slam into a striker and send him to the ground before they knew what hit them.  
A memory jumped at Kevin and he tore his eyes away from the page. “Neil” he called.  
Neil stuck his head in. “So apparently he changed his password, but Andrew’s working on it.”  
“Come here I want you to look at something,” Kevin said. He moved the photo album onto Neil’s lap when he sat next to him. The front of the jerseys had numbers, not names and pointed. “Which one is Ari, twins are hard.” He said trying to convey confusion instead of the idea that was prickling into his head.  
Neil looked between the two boys with the same face and same haircut.  
“This one,” Neil said pointing to the twin with the slitted eye smile.  
Kevin turned the page to a team photo “Which one here?”  
“This one,” Neil said after a few moments.  
Kevin turned it to the picture of the twins walking away, with one laughing and one smiling at his brother, their names on display on the back of their jerseys. “Here?”  
Neil lifted his hand but then stopped. He leaned down just a bit to get a closer look. Kevin’s heart was nearly thundering from his chest.  
“Um.” Neil cocked his head to the side.  
“Tell I’m wrong,” Kevin said.  
The first time Neil saw the Minyard brother’s together he was perceptive enough to know which one was which, while Kevin still got them mixed up sometimes.  
Neil looked up at Kevin then flipped to the first picture Kevin showed him. He flipped back to the picture with their names, then back to the first one. “We have a bigger issue than who was on the phone.”


	11. Chapter 11

Andrew said he wouldn’t believe Kevin and Neil until he saw Ari’s tape again. They couldn’t get the tape without involving Wymack, which was a whole other obstacle. After Wymack stopped laughing at them, he dug the DVD out of Ari’s file and put it in his computer. He turned the screen so everyone could see in Wymack’s small office.   
The first few clips Andrew and Wymack weren’t convinced, Ari scored, but Koji was on goal that game, so they didn’t have any comparison. The next clip started with the other team having possession and Koji seemed to appear out of no where and slammed the dealer to the ground so hard the smack of their racket echoed. The brother’s teams dealer got the ball and passed it to Ari who out ran his backliner and scored.   
Kevin looked at Andrew who was finally paying attention.   
The next clip Koji fought for possession of the ball in a dealer position, when he got the ball he passed it quickly to Ari. Ari again with some amazing footwork bypassed his backliner and scored.   
“There’s one obvious flaw in your accusation,” Wymack said. “Number 2 is left handed.” Wymack skipped back and they watched the dealers fight for the ball, they watched Koji pass it. He was left handed. “Last time I checked, Ari is right handed. Just like number one there.” He pointed at the screen as Ari scored.   
“You’re right.” Andrew said. “He isn’t left handed”   
“Yes he is,” Neil said like he was just realizing it himself.   
“We’ve all seen him play Neil,” Wymack said.   
Neil sighed and moved around Wymack’s desk. He picked up Wymack’s keys and looked at Andrew, when he had his attention he tossed the keys at him. Andrew snagged them out of the air with his left hand. He reached over and took them back then looked at Kevin. When he tossed them to Kevin, he caught them with his right hand.   
“Am I missing something?” Wymack asked.   
“First night practice we brought Ari, Andrew nearly took his head off with a ball. He caught it with his right hand. He dropped his racket instead of his helmet to catch it. Left handers catch with their right hand and throw with their left. He eats with his left hand. He texts with his left hand. Ari is left handed.”   
“Looking at the clips and then seeing him on the court it makes sense,” Andrew said after a moment of taking it in.   
“That’s all we work on at night,” Kevin said. “A striker shouldn’t be as bad handling a racket as he is.”  
“He’s bad because he is severely left handed and he’s playing with his right.” Neil said. “Remember how Matt couldn’t do anything with his left hand until he started coming to night practices more often?”   
“He still sucked when he graduated.” Kevin nodded.   
“Lets say I believe you,” Wymack said. “I have one blaring question. Why? Why would he pose as his brother? Why would the police reports say Koji Hiro had committed suicide?”   
“We have to talk to Ari for that.” Kevin said.   
“Think this through,” Wymack said. “If you’re wrong you could damage him beyond repair.”   
“But what if we’re right?” Neil asked.   
“First we find out why and then we fucking make him play left handed.” Wymack scowled. 

Since Nicky didn’t know of their thoughts yet, Kevin was decided to talk to Ari. They all agreed that all three of them with or without Wymack accusing Ari of posing as his dead brother would be a shit show, they decided to send in one person. Kevin was closest to Ari. They spent the most time together out of the three of them. Kevin took a few deep breaths and walked into Ari’s hospital room.   
Nicky looked up and smiled. “Changing of the guards!” he said cheerfully. He got up and leaned down to kiss Ari’s head. “I’ll come see you after practice okay?”   
“Okay,” Ari smiled.   
Nicky touched Kevin’s shoulder as he passed and Kevin took the chair near his bed. “How are you feeing?” Kevin asked.   
“Embarrassed, mostly.” Ari said.   
“Betsy said you won’t tell her where you got the drugs,” Kevin said.   
Ari looked away and shrugged. “I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.”   
“What like you’re dealer?” Kevin asked. “You know that Andrew was on that stuff and when he was taken off he was in a mental hospital for 6 weeks to get off it right?”   
“I know.”   
“And you know that if you leave for 6 weeks you’re fucking everyone on the team,” Kevin said. “But you also know that there is no way you’re staying on those drugs.”   
“I’m already going though detox,” Ari said. “They’re keeping me here for two weeks and then they are going to see if I’m out of the woods.”   
“You’re an asshole,” Kevin said and got up. “You’re an idiot! Why are you taking them? This isn’t a rhetorical question, WHY are you taking them?”   
“I’ve had a hard year,” Ari said softly.   
“You were on them before,” Kevin said. He reached into his backpack he slung over the back of the chair and dropped the photo album on Ari’s lap.   
“Where did you get this?” Ari asked  
“Some of those pictures you look so fucking high it should have been obvious to your coaches you we’re using.” Kevin said. “And yes- I mean YOU- not your brother.”   
“What?”   
Kevin angrily flipped open the book and pointed at number 2. “Tell me I’m wrong,” Kevin said, almost pleaded when Ari went still. “Tell me you’re not Koji. Tell I’m wrong.” He demanded.   
Ari looked up at him, tears in his eyes.   
“Fuck me,” Kevin said and turned on his heal. He pressed his hands to his eyes for a moment then turned back “Why? Why in the hell would you do this?”   
“Which part?” Ari asked.   
“Why would you say you’re the one who died when it was Ariato?”   
“You don’t understand,” Ari sniffed.   
“Make me understand,” Kevin snapped.   
Ari closed the book slowly and looked away from him. He wiped his eyes and Kevin hated the guilt he felt for making Ari… Koji?… cry.  
“Tell me WHY” Kevin yelled.  
“I didn’t have a choice!” he yelled back. “They already sent Wymack the tapes! The foxes weren’t interested in me they were interested in him and then he killed himself! I didn’t have a choice.”   
“What are you talking about?” Kevin asked. “Ari talk to me,”   
“My name isn’t Ari,” Koji said then put his hands over his face sobbing into them.   
Kevin sighed deeply. He didn’t want to be right about this, that was the thing that sucked the most. It sucked more than the drugs. He sat on the side of bed and rubbed his shoulder. “Koji,” he said softly. “Do you want me to call you that?”   
“No they’ll kill me,” Ari said.   
“What?” Kevin asked “Who? What are you talking about?”


	12. Chapter 12

The car was quiet after dropping Ari off at an inpatient recovery hospital called Legacy Horizon, about an hour away from Campus. He’d be gone for a month. Wymack said they were lucky it wasn’t longer, but for once Kevin wasn’t thinking about the team as he watched Ari look over his shoulder as he was lead away.   
Kevin wasn’t able to get anything out of Ari on why he was pretending to be his brother. Ari shut down. He wouldn’t even talk to Nicky. Betsy thought it would be best for him to be in the hands of professionals while he came off the drugs since his mental state was so fragile. Kevin missed him the moment he sat in the passenger seat of Wymack’s car.   
“He’s going to be alright.” Wymack said, his eyes on the rearview mirror looking at Nicky.   
Nicky wiped at his eyes. “He wouldn’t even talk to me.” He snuffed.   
“He wouldn’t talk to anyone,” Wymack said. “He’s embarrassed. Betsy said once he’s back she’s going to start seeing him to help him work through… whatever he’s going through. He’ll be back to his old self soon enough.”   
“If we ever knew him at all,” Kevin frowned out the window.   
“Don’t start that,” Wymack said. “You know him.”   
“Bull shit,” Kevin frowned.  
“Name 5 things you know about him.” Wymack said. “Go. Kevin.”   
Kevin frowned and sighed deeply.   
“He hates white foods,” Nicky sniffed. “Ranch dressing, cream cheese, mayo, anything white besides potatoes.”   
“Kevin,” Wymack said.   
Kevin rolled his eyes. “He laughs at his own jokes before he’s done telling them.” He finally said.   
Nicky let out a weak laugh. “He’s scared of spiders. There was one in the dorm and I found him on the desk screaming and throwing things at it.”   
“In his defense he said it jumped at him,” Kevin smiled, unable to help himself.   
Nicky laughed at the memory, even Wymack smirked,   
“He has to hug something when he sleeps.” Kevin said softly. “One time it was Aaron and I thought Aaron was going to have a stroke. He vowed he was never sitting next to Ari on the bus again.”   
“He ends phone conversations with an “I love you”,” Nicky said, his voice getting weak again.   
“Oh thank god it’s not just me,” Wymack said.   
Nicky laughed loudly, it was odd to hear him laugh without Ari laughing with him.   
“How didn’t we know?” Kevin asked. “Andrew was obvious when he was on it.”   
“Don’t beat yourself up. Something tells me that kid has hid more than the pills most of his life.” Wymack said “Abby didn’t suspect he was high or she would have done a urine test on him.”  
“Did you suspect anything coach?” Kevin asked. “You see through all of us.”   
“I knew something was off.” Wymack said. “I just didn’t know what.”   
“Even Andrew didn’t know.” Nicky said.   
“I should have known,” Kevin said.   
“Why?” Wymack asked.  
Kevin shook his head and looked out the window.   
“Huh,” Wymack said and looked back at the road. Kevin squirmed, just as always Wymack could see right through all his players. Kevin didn’t even really know what he was seeing with Ari and him, but the pain in his chest over leaving Ari and hour away from the team told him that whatever Coach Wymack saw, wasn’t wrong.


	13. Chapter 13

The first game without Ari on the court was against the Breckenridge Jackals. It was odd that the Hiro twins were raised by the coach just across the court. Odder that Ari left that hone of almost ten years a week after his brother’s death.   
Kevin paused in warmups when he saw the Captain of the Jackals walking their way, Tyler Phillips. The coaches youngest son. Ari’s ex-foster brother. Neil and Andrew moved up beside Kevin as Tyler approached. The crowds screamed loudly.   
“Kevin,” Tyler said. “Neil, Minyard.” He nodded. The Minyard twins often got called by their last names by other teams to save the hassle of asking which one they were.   
“Tyler,” Kevin said back.   
“Something you want?” Neil asked.   
“You seem to be down a player,” Tyler said looking over the other foxes who had stopped to come closer. “Where’s my baby brother?”   
“The one you threw away after his brother died?” Neil asked.   
“Don’t be nasty Nathaniel,” Tyler said.   
Neil put a hand against Andrew’s chest as he tried to step forward. “What do you want?”   
“Word on the street is that Ari isn’t on school grounds.” Tyler said. “Where is he?”   
“Pretty sure he’s a Fox not a Jackal,” Neil said cooly.   
Tyler took a step forward and Kevin put his racket between Tyler and Neil. “One more step and I’ll let Andrew show you how much I don’t like Neil being touched.”   
“Kevin, Kevin, Kevin,” Tyler smiled. “Same as ever huh? Always have someone to hide behind. You went from getting fucked by Riko to getting fucked by the Foxes pet psycho.”   
“What the fuck did you just say to me?” Kevin asked and pushed his racket into Neil. Once Neil had hold of it Kevin was in Tyler’s face. “You want to say that again?”   
“Oh wait, my mistake,” Tyler said. “Everyone learned from the papers that Andrew’s the bottom.”   
“What the fuck did you just say?” Wymack’s voice came from no where. When Tyler took a step back from Kevin, Wymack pushed between them. “You walk your happy ass to your side of the court Phillips before I have you thrown out of this game!”   
“Coach Wymack,” Tyler greeted.   
“Save your bullshit. You talk to any of my players about anything other than Exy for the rest of the night and I will have my foot so far up your ass you’ll wear it as a hat. You got me?”   
“Whatever,” Tyler said and turned on his heel go to back to his team.  
Wymack turned to the three of them “Don’t rile a team before the game even starts.”   
“I’m going to fucking kill him.” Neil said.   
“On the court you’ll have your chance. Andrew you good?” Wymack asked.  
“Me?” Andrew asked. “I’m always good.”   
“Good. You close your goal down tonight you hear me?” Wymack asked.   
“Oh coach,” Andrew said. “He signed his death certificate the moment he walked over here.”   
The warning bell went off and Wymack clapped his hands. “Alright, everyone but Neil off for the coin toss. Neil you touch him and I will bench you the whole game.”   
Kevin looked at Neil who nodded in return and Kevin followed Wymack and Andrew off the court.   
The game was violent from the start. Andrew, who was pissed, but would never actually say Tyler got to him, bullied his way into guarding the goal the whole game. Tyler didn’t know what he got himself into when he brought Andrew into the fight. Kevin and Neil hadn’t played a full game since their first year together, but with Ari out and Robin still in a cast they did what they had to do. It reminded Kevin of their first year, how they would run themselves in the ground and play like the had nothing to lose and everything to gain.   
Aaron got red carded right before half time. Him and his Striker mark got into a fight and once Aaron knocked him down, he jumped on him and kept wailing on him. It took three players and two referees to pull him off. Kevin didn’t know what the Striker said, but from the death glare Aaron gave as he walked off the court said he deserved every hit.   
In the end almost every Fox had a yellow card and three of the Jackals were red carded, but the Foxes pulled through. Andrew gave Wymack a promise and shut the second ranked team in the East down. It was 4-0 Foxes favor. It was the first time in history that the Jackals didn’t score a point and Andrew knew it. He smiled widely, looking like his former drugged self, as he stared the other team down during the handshake.   
Tyler caught Kevin’s arm at the end of the line “Tell Ari to answer my fucking calls.”   
Kevin shook him off and turned to him. “Put your hands on me again and see what happens.”  
“Where is he?” Tyler asked.   
Something about the way Tyler kept asking for someone who hadn’t been in his life since April rubbed Kevin the wrong way. His mind went back to a conversation he had with Ari, about monsters. 

‘I grew up in foster care, I have a couple,’ 

Kevin smiled slowly. “Somewhere you’ll never get to him.”   
“Fuck you,” Tyler snapped and pushed Kevin’s chest. If he hadn’t just played a full game, he might not have stumbled back, but his legs were wobbly and he couldn’t feel his feet.   
“He’s not answering his phone because he doesn’t want to talk to you,” Kevin snarled.   
Tyler punched him in the jaw. It took all the referees and the coaches to break up the fight both teams joined in on. Wymack was swearing the whole way to the locker room, but it was about the Jackals and how they deserved more red cards from the fight.   
Kevin sat on the bench hard and sighed, He looked up when Andrew’s hand cupped around his chin. Kevin dabbed his split lip and shrugged.   
“You have a big mouth Kevin Day.” Andrew said.   
“I owed him,” Kevin said.


	14. Chapter 14

Kevin didn’t feel like going drinking in Columbia the Friday of Thanksgiving break, but here he was. When he tried to stay at the dorms, Andrew nearly forced him by knife point out to the car. He knew there was no way that Andrew would leave him alone when Riko was back in the picture.   
Ari had been gone for 3 weeks. No one had heard anything from him, not that Kevin was expecting too, but he was worried. Ari wasn’t fragile. He showed that he wasn’t in how he came to Palmetto, he showed it in how he stood up to Riko and walked Kevin through the panic attacks after.  
But he also remembered the way he clung to Kevin’s hand when he saw a Jackal. He remembered how easy his real smile would fall back into his pretty fake smile. The one that really belonged to his brother. How long had he been practicing his brothers smile to perfect it?   
“Stop the pity party,” Andrew said.  
“I’m not having a pity party,” Kevin scowled.   
“That face is very un-queen like,” Andrew said and dug a finger into Kevin’s tattoo.  
“Fuck you,” Kevin shot back quickly.   
“Your boyfriend will be back in a week. Calm down.” Aaron said.   
Kevin was out of his seat before he thought better of it, the alcohol clouding his thoughts. “What did you say?”   
“Whoaaa whoaaa,” Nicky said holding his hands out. “Lets not spill any liquor.”   
“I don’t know who you think you’re talking to Aaron but I will-”  
“You’ll what?” Aaron asked. “Have a panic attack in the bathroom? Cry to your daddy?”   
Kevin looked over at Andrew with his fists clenched. Andrew looked at Aaron then back at Kevin and shrugged. Kevin took that as permission and punched Aaron sending him into the group at the table next to them.   
Aaron was back a second later, fists flying at Kevin. Andrew let them battle it out for a few minutes and then they were pulled apart. Andrew grabbing Kevin roughly and Neil pulling Aaron away.   
“Asshole!” Aaron yelled.   
“Fuck you!”   
“Come on guys,” Nicky frowned. “Don’t get us kicked out! Be cool.”   
Aaron yelled for Nicky to shut up the same time Kevin hit Nicky with a “Go to hell!”   
Kevin pulled himself out of Andrew’s grip and wiped at his nose sniffing back the blood. “If I want your opinion on my life I’ll fucking give it to you, got me Minyard?”   
“Big words for someone who needs his hand held to even take a piss.” Aaron shot back.   
Kevin glared, he almost told Andrew they were leaving, but that would be feeding right into what Aaron wanted him to do. He turned on his heel and walked away from the group.   
“Kevin,” Neil called with a sigh as Kevin stalked away.   
Kevin didn’t have keys to the car so he sat on the curb outside and crossed his arms over his knees. Fuck Aaron. Fuck all of them. He dropped his head down to his arms and sighed deeply.   
He missed Ari. He had never come to Columbia with them, but right now all he wanted was to listen to Ari chatter about anything that came into his mind. Kevin normally hated chatty people. He never had time for it, but with Ari it was different. He liked knowing what Ari thought. He liked that he could talk though his own thoughts and felt comfortable enough to do it with Kevin. He had a lot of questions for Air. A lot of things that needed to be out in the open, but right now he wouldn’t care if Ari never told him. He just wanted to feel Ari’s leg pressed against his as he lounged next to him on the curb, he wanted Ari’s hand on his arm as he got excited over their conversation. He wanted to see him laugh. Kevin wanted to laugh.


	15. Chapter 15

On Monday, Wymack had them come to the stadium at 8am instead of the gym at 6. Kevin was sure there was another hiccup. Another thing that was going to make him unable to sleep or give him indigestion.   
Kevin still wasn’t talking to Aaron, but he had to say he liked the black eye he saw on him when they met to go to Andrew’s car.   
“What’s going on?” Nicky asked as they walked into the locker room. “Do you know Kevin?”   
“Why would I know?” Kevin asked.   
“Neil?” Nicky asked.   
Neil shrugged and Nicky sighed loudly. “I swear to God if its something horrible I’m going to throw up. I can’t handle this anymore” Nicky slumped into his chair and sighed loudly again.   
“What’s with all the faces?” Wymack asked as he walked in.   
“Waiting on the bad news,” Neil said.   
“Who said there’s bad news?” Wymack asked and moved the TV out of the way to sit on the entertainment center.   
“We don’t have a good track record,” Kevin scowled.   
“Well, this time it’s good news.” Wymack said.  
“Did someone kill Riko?” Andrew asked.  
“Shuddap Minyard,” Wymack said. He pulled his phone out and smirked at the message. He waited a moment then put his phone away when he heard the back door slam shut down the hallway. “Betsy’s here. Siddown Neil.” Wymack pointed. “She’s just dropping something off.”   
Betsy walked in with Abby and she smiled. “Oh good morning.” She leaned over and gave Dan a hug when she reached for her. When she bent down Kevin paled. Ari was standing behind her. He had his hair pulled back into a small bun like he did when they were on the court. His big eyes, scared and nervous. He looked pale and tired, but he was there. He also looked like he wasn’t sure if his teammates would be happy to see him.   
Nicky was the first person to Ari, he got up with a yell and raced to Ari crushing him in a tight squeeze. Ari clung to him burying his face in Nicky’s neck. Kevin was sure they were both crying.   
Dan hugged Ari next giving his face a few motherly kisses, then he was caught up by the rest of the team, leaving Kevin, Neil and the twins behind. Kevin could feel his heart beating against his chet hard enough he was surprised it didn’t bruise his rib cage. Ari. Ari was there. He was with them again.   
Surprisingly Aaron pushed into the crowd and after a few swats to get his team off of Ari he put him in and headlock and pulled him towards his small group outside of the circle.   
Ari stopped, his smile fading when he saw Kevin. Kevin looked back at him, for too long before he realized that Andrew and Neil were waiting for Kevin’s judgement, but Kevin couldn’t move. He felt like he could breathe for the first time since Ari walked into the recovery center. He wanted to laugh, he wanted to cry, but most of all he just wanted to look at him. He was alright and that meant everything.   
He took a step towards him, then moved quickly to Ari. Ari let out a wet breath and met him half way and jumped into his arms.  
Kevin wrapped an arm around Ari’s waist, the other cupping the back of his head and he spun them in a slow circle. Ari wrapped his arms tight around Kevin’s neck and buried his face in. He let out a shuddered breath.   
“I’m so mad at you,” Kevin whispered tilting his face into Ari’s ear.   
Ari nodded against his shoulder and sniffed “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”   
“You’re here,” Kevin whispered. These words were for Ari and no one else. “You’re home, that’s all that matters.”   
“Home,” Ari repeated than he was crying.   
Kevin rubbed his back, he’d hold him as long as he needed. He didn’t care who saw. He didn’t care what they thought.   
Ari pulled away to look at Kevin, still being held off his feet and smiled, his real smile, even thought his eyes were puffy and his face was red. “I heard you hit Tyler.”   
“It was beautiful,” Nicky said.  
Kevin laughed when Ari hugged him again. Everything was right. He didn’t care what Ari’s real name was. He didn’t care if he didn’t get the Striker he thought, he had this boy back next to him. That was all that mattered.


	16. Chapter 16

Andrew’s protective streak had come out in full force and he closed ranks up tight around Ari. Kevin wasn’t sure if it was the fact that Nicky and Kevin were still wrecked over having Ari back with them, or if Andrew had claimed Ari as one of them, but Kevin appreciated it. Andrew all but closed their dorm room down with Kevin, Ari, Neil, Nicky and Aaron inside it.   
Wymack didn’t argue when he saw Andrew’s protective streak come out, he knew better than to try to get in the middle of it. It was best to let Andrew close his walls up around those he protected and let them come down in his own time then try to fight it.   
Andrew did it time and time again, when their mother hit Aaron, when Nicky was jumped, when Kevin sat next to Riko on live TV, when Neil was taken to Baltimore and now, when Andrew knew Ari needed space and somewhere familiar to tell his truth.   
“So where should we start?” Aaron asked when no one else spoke.   
“What are you comfortable telling us, Ari?” Nicky asked.  
“Nope,” Andrew said. “You’re going to spill.”   
“Andrew,” Kevin warned.  
“No,” Andrew said with a wave of his hand. “There is so much bullshit going on here you’re lucky I’m not choking it out of him.”   
“It’s okay,” Ari said. “There’s a lot, but I’ll try to tell you.”  
“You don’t try,” Andrew said. “You do.”   
“Why were you taking those pills?” Neil asked. “Why are you- I mean you’re not Ari. Right?”   
“No,” he said softly. “But those two things are unrelated. The easiest explanation is the hardest and you’ll hate me for it. But you deserve the truth.” he took a deep breath and looked at his hands. “The idea was simple, Ari had all the qualifications and the sad back story the Foxes were known to recruit from.”  
“What are you talking about?” Kevin asked.   
“Ari was…” he took a deep breath and held it before sighing it out. “My foster father saw that Ari had the potential to be the a great Striker. He honed him, he coached him. He had me play whatever position he needed at the time to practice against Ari. I was just glad to be included. I loved Exy, but I never had the drive that Ari did.”   
“Lets skip to the part where the idea comes into play,” Andrew said   
He nodded. “My foster father, Coach Phillips saw an opening when you won championships. He said there was no way a team like the Foxes would hold onto the momentum to become the next power house. He had built a great team, but it wasn’t strong enough to be number one. Not yet. Ari would do anything for him. He treated Ari better than he did his own kids. Ari worshipped him. One day Ari came into our room and he said that dad had a plan. A plan that would bring the Jackals to the top and that he was going to be the one to do it, but he was going to have to leave for a year. He was going to get recruited to the Foxes and….” He closed his eyes before he spoke “Spy. Break the team up from the inside, do anything to stop your streak. He’d send information back to the Jackals. Then my dad would swoop in, get Kevin and Andrew to sign to the Jackals with blackmail if he had too. He said Ari and Kevin would be the next Kevin and Riko, that Andrew would lock the goal down.”   
Kevin had to stop himself from leaning away from Ari…. Koji?… as he spoke. Neil was pacing and Andrew looked like he was ready to murder every one in the room.   
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Aaron asked. “He was going to spy on us just because your foster father told him to?”   
“You don’t understand.” He said shaking his head. “He always blamed himself for our father dying. Mom died instantly in the crash, but dad he was bleeding out. Ari held his hands over the wound in dads neck until the ambulance got there. At first dad was awake. Ari was like him, protective. He took care of me the way dad took care of us. Ari promised him over and over that he would take care of dad, but he still died. Ari couldn’t keep him there. He blamed himself and when we got to their house two years later, Coach Phillips was the first person to sit Ari down and tell him how brave he was. Tell him he was proud of him. He protected Ari like dad did. He would have done anything for that man, without question.”   
“So he would go in to a team that deserved every piece of victory they had and sabotage them?” Neil asked.   
“He didn’t understand why Kevin went to the Foxes of all teams. He would yell at the TV whenever there was news about it. I never saw him so angry the day that it was announced Kevin would play again. Then he watched Kevin fight tooth and nail and bring the Foxes up. He said there was no way you would have won without Kevin. That he just needed Kevin for a year.” He said. “It was like something broke in him. He was never the most moral man, but this was a new low. A low that Ari followed him too. After Ari died-”  
“Why did he kill himself?” Nicky asked. “Did he have a change of heart?”   
“Unrelated.” He shook his head. “That’s later.”   
“So after he died Coach Phillips turned to you,” Andrew said,   
“From what it sounds like you didn’t have the relationship your brother had with him.” Neil said. “Why do it?”   
He tipped his head back and and rested it on the couch behind him. He blinked up at the ceiling as he fought with the memories. If Kevin wasn’t so angry he might have reached out, but as he was now, Kevin was too seconds away from losing it.   
“It was my fault he died,” he finally said. “And they were going to take away the pills.”   
“So you spied on us this whole time?” Andrew asked.  
“No-”   
“Stop fucking lying.” Andrew snapped. “They heard you telling whoever it was on the phone that you didn’t have anything new. That you were sorry. Who was it on the phone? Coach Phillips?”   
He blinked quickly and held his face still, the kind of still where he was struggling not to cry.   
“NO!” Andrew slammed his hand down. “You don’t get to cry! Give me one reason why I shouldn’t rip your fucking head off.”   
“I’m sorry,” Ari whispered, his voice shaking. “Please- I just-”   
Andrew was off the desk in an instant, but Ari was almost as fast. He hurled himself off the couch and tripped over the coffee table. He landed hard and scooted himself back against the wall near the front door “No! NO!” He cowered, hands protecting his head.   
The room stilled and went deathly quiet. Kevin knew the panic he felt rip through Ari when he thought Andrew was going to hit him. He remembered the nights spent in the bathroom huddled on the floor, bloody and bruised praying that Riko wouldn’t come back.   
Kevin stood and held a hand out to Andrew trying to keep him back and then moved in front of Ari. He crouched down in front of him “Ari,”   
He flinched away from Kevin, Kevin held his hands up but didn’t touch him. “Its me.” He said softly. “I will never put my hands on you in anger. Its alright.”  
“Its not alright,” Ari gasped out. “Its never been alright and it will never be alright again.”   
“Hey…”   
“I didn’t tell him anything,” Ari said breathing hard. “I told him the drills, before I got to know you. I told him just the drills, everything else I made up.”   
“Okay,” Kevin said, his voice steady and soft. “Alright, that doesn’t matter. We trust you.”   
“We do?” Aaron asked.   
“Shuddap Aaron,” Nicky snapped.   
“You’re my friends,” Ari sniffed, his head still hidden by his arms. “I never had friends. All I had was Ari and he left me. He left me and it was my fault.”   
“That’s enough for tonight,” Kevin said over his shoulder to the others. “We can’t ask him for anything more.”   
Neil through his hands up and sat back down. Andrew stood still as a statue where he was in the middle of the room.   
“Ari,” Kevin whispered and touched his arm. Ari jolted back from him. “You’re having a panic attack,” he whispered. “Its only me. I’m going to touch you.” He said using the same words Ari used on him so many months. He kept his hands on Ari’s arms until he felt the new tension of his touch fade away. “I’m taking you somewhere safe.” He said and picked Ari up slowly. He brought him into the bedroom and laid him gently on his bed before crawling in next to him.


	17. Chapter 17

Ari fell asleep once his body relaxed and his mind slowed. Kevin stayed laid next to him, their hands clasped together on the pillow between their heads. No one came in, he wasn’t sure if the others slept out in the living room or if they went to the other dorm, but all night Kevin and Ari were alone. Kevin woke up every time Ari shifted, soothed him when he dreamt and watched in amazement that Ari was home. Home with him. He didn’t care about how he came here, he was here. That’s all that mattered to Kevin.   
Kevin never had this before. A knowledge that no matter what the other person said, he’d be there. He had blind faith in Andrew, but this was different. This was unconditional. The moment he saw Ari come back from rehab he realized that he would always be there for Ari. There would always be a spot for him in Kevin’s world. He just hoped that Ari would want to be there.   
Ari opened his eyes sometime in the late morning and his eyes went soft when he saw Kevin. “Morning,” he whispered.   
“Morning,”   
“Did you sleep at all?” Ari asked. “You look horrible.”   
“Fuck you too,” Kevin said lightly, then brushed some hair from Ari’s eyes. “How do you feel?”   
“Embarrassed.” Ari said. “Stupid.”   
“That’s okay” Kevin said. “Aaron’s stupid every day of his life, but he still manages.”   
Ari laughed quietly, but it was his real laugh, his real smile.   
“There it is,” Kevin said softly and ran a finger down Ari’s cheek. “This is how I figured out who you were,”   
“What?” Ari asked “How?”   
“Your smile.” Kevin said.   
“Ugh,” Ari sighed “I hate it. I can’t see.”   
Now it was Kevin’s turn to laugh. “Do you want us to call you by your name?”   
“Koji is dead.” He said “Legally I mean. It’s best for right now if I’m just… Ari,”   
“Me and you,” Kevin started. “Can I maybe call you Koji sometimes? When we’re alone.”   
He smiled and nodded slowly. “I’d like that.”   
“Good,” Kevin said. “Because I like Koji,”   
“He likes you too,” Ari said   
The bedroom door opened and Kevin turned his head to see Andrew and Neil walking in. Andrew sat on the bed opposite them. Kevin sat up and tried to gage the situation.   
“We talked to coach,” Neil said as he sat next to Andrew.   
Ari sat up, his body rigid. He moved next to Kevin facing the other two.   
Andrew tossed Ari something and he caught it easily. He looked down at a phone and blinked back up at Andrew. “What’s this?”  
“Your new phone.” Andrew said. “New number. We all have it. You have all of ours. Every number that isn’t programed into that phone is blocked. I’m checking your phone once a week and if there’s anything in there I don’t like we are going to have words.”   
“You’re also taking a weekly drug test with Abby and you’re going to see Betsy. That was the only way Coach allowed this.” Neil said. “Andrew goes on Wednesdays, you’ll go with him for now until we trust that you’re going.”   
Ari looked at them with wide eyes. “You’re letting me stay?”   
“You are a Fox,” Andrew said. “Besides where else would you go?”   
Ari looked down at his phone like Andrew just handed him the world. He nodded and let out a shaky breath.   
“We don’t know the whole story,” Neil said. “But I know what its like to give up secrets before you're ready, so we’ll wait.”   
Andrew and Neil stood up eyes still on Ari.   
“Oh,” Neil said. “And you're playing left handed from now on.”   
Ari was up in an instant. He threw his arms around Neil, who was taken aback from the sudden hug, but didn’t move away.   
“Thank you, thank you” Ari said. He let go and turned to Andrew his arms opening.   
“No,” Andrew said taking a step back his hand out, his tone flat. “You hug me you lose fingers.”   
“Andrew,” Ari frowned his arms still out in a welcoming gesture. He smiled brightly. “C’mon!”   
“I said no.”   
Ari sighed and dropped his arms. “Diva.”   
Andrew rolled his eyes and pushed past him to go to the door. Once he was passed he stopped and sighed. He turned to Ari and held his fist out.   
Ari smiled brightly and tapped his fist against Andrew’s   
“Spoiled brat,” Andrew said as he stormed out.


	18. Chapter 18

On Friday, the Foxes were away against the Ravens. Kevin was nervous. More nervous than he had been at the Fall Banquet because he knew that Riko, playing or not, still had it out for him.   
His nerves were slightly calmed by the presence of Ari next to him chatting as they walked into the stadium. When Ari saw how tightly Kevin was gripping his bag on his shoulder, Ari reached out and untangled Kevin’s fingers from it and swung their hands between them.   
“We’re holding hands now?” Kevin asked, his tone light.   
Ari moved in front of him and grabbed his other hand and started to sing some pop song Kevin knew, but didn’t know the name of, while swung their hands back and forth dancing backwards pulling Kevin along with him.   
“You’re insane” Kevin laughed.   
“But I got you to laugh,” he said as he pushed into the locker room.   
“You alright?” Dan asked after they changed out and headed towards the stadium.   
“I’ll be better when we’re playing,” Kevin said.   
“If you need anything…”   
“I know,” Kevin said.   
“Matt’s here tonight,” Dan smiled. “Allison and him are in the stands, make sure you look for them.”   
Kevin wasn’t paying attention during stretching out in the locker room after warm ups. Riko had watched Kevin the whole time, he tried to ignore it, but he could feel the icy glare crawling down his spine the whole time.   
As he sat stretching, the cool tile under his hands, a locker banged closed and suddenly he was back there. Back under Riko’s cruel hands. He closed his eyes, no. Not here. He pulled his neck guard off needing to be able to get more air in his burning lungs. He tried to think of every exercise Betsy gave him to overcome panic attacks, but all he could see is Riko standing over him, blood on his hands and a snarl on his face.   
He put his face in his hands and pressed his back into the wall behind him. Suddenly there were warm fingers curling between his. Kevin opened his eyes as Ari gently pulled his hands from his face. He took an ear bud out of his ear and put it in Kevin’s.   
It was an old song, Kevin wasn’t sure who it was by, but he recognized it, something his mother played in the car.   
“God only know’s what I’d be without you” the man sang. Ari sang along, barely above a whisper and smiled at him, his real smile before putting the other earbud in Kevin’s ear. “It’s the Foxes song” he laughed.   
He gently held Kevin’s head in his hands and bobbed his head to the song he could no longer hear before disappearing again, going back to stretching.   
Kevin’s mind cleared as he listened and he closed his eyes, this time with a calm he hadn’t had in the Raven’s Nest before. The earbuds blocked out everyone and everything around him. He ws just himself, getting ready for an Exy game. Exy was his. No one else’s and fuck anyone who got in his way. When he opened his eyes, Andrew’s were on him. Kevin nodded once and Andrew went back to stretching.   
“Alright listen up,” Wymack said as they were gathering their helmets to go to the benches. “We’ve played this team before, we know how they play. They’ll be fast and dirty, with Riko back on the team who knows what they’ll try to pull. Dan, Neil and I put our heads together and we came up with a plan. Last time we met Riko on the court we had to pull out all the stops. I’m not sure if they’ve gotten better or worse now that Riko is back on the sidelines, but I’m not taking any chances. The line up is changing, so pay attention. Kevin and Neil starting Strikers, Robin is on for Neil, Neil and Robin will start second half and then Kevin will come on for Robin.”  
“Wait what?” Nicky asked.   
Wymack held his hand up to quiet him and continued. “Aaron and Nicky starting backliners, Josie on for Nicky, Ari on for Aaron.”   
“Are you kidding me?” Aaron asked.   
“Second half Nicky and Tommy starting, Aaron and Josie in for subs, Ari will be dealer second half. Goalies are the same as normal” Wymack said.   
“Coach?” Kevin started.   
“Speed has always been our weakness against the Ravens,” Neil said. “Ari is fast and knows how to land a hit. He hasn’t played defense with us, but that was his primary position before he started with here.”   
“I can do it,” Ari said. “I play like a backliner, having three backliners out second half is how you beat them in championships.”   
“You haven’t played with your left hand or defense in months,” Kevin said.   
“You of all people know that even when you’re not on the court, you’re still playing.” Ari said.   
“We went over plays,” Dan said. “He’s ready. He can do this. We all can do this. They are just another team in our way to get to where we know we belong.”   
“You sure?” Kevin asked.  
“Yes,” Ari said. “I won’t let you down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AifqxMaURFI 
> 
> Song Ari played for Kevin


	19. Chapter 19

The Stadium went into an uproar when the Foxes entered. The Orange Notes, the Foxes school band, blared to live the Foxes fight song and every hit of the drum beat into Kevin’s bones. He held his head high, racket in his left hand and kept his eyes forward. The Foxes behind him waved to the crowd, but Kevin wasn’t here for them. He was here to win.  
The Raven’s fans responded to the Foxes like they always did. Noise. As their fans jumped in unison Kevin felt the weight of the Raven’s push down on him. This was his home for so long. This was where he grew up under Riko and the Master’s cruel care.  
Ari stopped next to him and looked around the Stadium. “You can basically feel how small that Ravens dicks are. All this fanfare? Why not just announce they can’t fuck. Have you seen Riko’s dick? I bet its tiny.” He held up his pinky finger and gave it a little waggle as he looked towards the Raven’s benches.  
Kevin looked at Ari and blinked, then he was laughing. He put his arm over Ari’s shoulder and pulled him in. He gave Ari’s chest a light smack. “Good to have you back, kid,” He said  
Ari looked up at him and smiled. “We’re going to send them home crying.” He said “Well… I mean the ARE home, so they can’t go hone— you know what I mean. We’re doing that.”  
“Are you on drugs again?” Andrew asked coming up on the other side of him.  
“Drug of life,” Ari said. “I’m playing Exy on the Raven Court, you know my secret and I’m with my family.” He put his arm around Andrew.  
“Get off,” Andrew said “What did we talk about? No touching, K-pop.”  
“Be nice or I’ll make you sit with me on the way home,” Ari said “I’m a little tired, might fall asleep.”  
Andrew pointed a gloved hand at him as he walked on the court for warm ups.  
“And I’m not Korean,” Ari called after him.  
“Pushing Andrew is a good way to get stabbed.” Kevin said.  
“Ari stabbed me with a fork once,” he said and held up his arm like Kevin could see a scar under all the padding. “Didn’t hurt that bad. He was very territorial about his food.”  
“I thought when you were off the drugs you’d be quieter,” Wymack said as he walked up. “Why are you two standing here gossiping get your asses on the court for warm ups. Don’t make me say it again.”  
“Yes Coach,”  
Warm ups didn’t last as long as Kevin would have liked, but the budding nerves he was hiding were gone. He was in game mode. The game started off violent, as they all predicted. The Foxes were mad Riko was back and the Raven’s didn’t like the vibrato the Foxes carried onto their court.  
When Ari stepped on the Court as a backliner the Ravens switched their attention from Kevin to Ari. Riko’s smile was cruel when Kevin looked over at the Raven’s benches after the first hard hit Ari took. He looked back at Ari who rolled out of the hit and was back on his feet. He tore after the Striker who knocked him down. Kevin could tell by his body language he was starting to get angry.  
At half time, the Foxes and Ravens were at an even 4 goals each. Ari rolled his shoulder as they walked back to the locker room and Abby started undoing hooks to get a better look at it.  
“You okay?” Kevin asked.  
“Besides being pissed off, I’m fine,” Ari said.  
“You took a couple hard spills out there,” Kevin said.  
“Why are you paying attention to me and not your side of the court. I don’t tell you how to play.” Ari snapped.  
“Getting angry will only fuel you so far,” Kevin said in hushed Japanese as Neil approached.  
“You’re not looking for the hits,” Neil said. “Riko’s got it out for you from the banquet. You have to pay attention to what’s around you.”  
“Working on it,” Ari said as he accepted a drink from Abby.  
Kevin saw just how tired Ari was, just how much he may be hurting and realized that this was the first game maybe ever that Ari was playing sober. He remembered Andrew and the infinite energy the drugs gave him. Fuck.  
“Hey,” Kevin said softly. “How are you doing? Playing without the drugs I mean?”  
Ari shrugged. Kevin thought he wouldn’t answer but then he sighed “Hurts more.”  
“Be smart okay?” Kevin asked. ‘You have to adjust.”  
Ari nodded. “I got it.”  
“I know you do.” Kevin said and Ari looked up at him. Then he smiled.  
“Get outta my face Day, you’re distracting,” Ari smiled.  
“Am I?” Kevin asked. “Why’s that?”  
“Flirt on your own time,” Wymack said as he walked in. “Ari God Dammit watch your god damned back! Unless you like getting your ass kicked out there. Nicky, move your ass! You’re slowing everyone down. Kevin for fuck sakes get your head in the game. Neil I swear to God if you and Kevin don’t start talking out there- Jesus Fuck, the only person that hasn’t pissed me off tonight is Andrew and he hasn’t played yet.”  
“Present,” Andrew said hearing his name.  
“I take that back.” Wymack said. “Play this god damed game like you know how. This isn’t the first game of the season. Now get out there and shut them down or I swear to God I’ll make you run so many marathons your legs will fall off and you’ll play the rest of the year without any fucking legs. You got me?”  
“Yes Coach,”  
By the time Neil came back on for the second half three Raven’s had been red carded and almost everyone on both teams had yellow cards. Ari was doing better at looking for upcoming hits, but now that he was Dealer, it was easier for the Backliners to get into his face. Ari was better left handed, it was the missing peace that Kevin was desperately looking for when they practiced at night. Everyone noticed when Kevin changed to his left hand, but Ari was too unknown for anyone to notice. Anyone at this game at least.  
With 10 minutes left on the clock, Kevin scored to put the Foxes in the lead 8-7, but they needed a more comfortable lead. When the ball was reset the two teams smashed into each other, both sides needing to score. Ari popped the ball high towards the Strikers and Kevin ran after it, he fought for purchase up against the wall near the Raven’s line. He jumped when a single loud pound came from the other side of the thick plastic and came eye to eye with Riko.  
Kevin only lost a second with that dirty trick but it was all the Raven backliner needed. He shouldered Kevin out of the way and regained possession of the ball. Kevin slammed his hands on the ground and got up racing after the ball. The backliner passed up court and Ari pushed his way through. He jumped for the ball, stick raised above his head. As soon as the ball landed in his racket the Raven dealer plowed into Ari’s legs as he was coming back down from his jump. Ari snapped the ball back towards his Strikers, a moment before he was hit, then his legs were out from under him and he somersaulted in the air and landed hard on his back.  
Kevin lost sight as Neil and him went after the ball. Kevin passed to Neil, Neil to Kevin, Kevin to Neil and Neil scored. Kevin never needed to see their goal light up red as badly as he did at that moment. He turned back his hands in the air, but stopped when he saw Nicky bent over Ari who was still on the ground. Aaron was pushing the Raven’s dealer with loud words about the vicious hit and the Referees were racing on the court.  
Kevin ran over, he dropped his racket along the way, he wasn’t sure where and knelt besides Ari.  
“What did I say about not worrying about my side of the court?” Ari wheezed out.  
“What did I say about watching your back? Can you sit up?” Kevin asked. When Ari nodded Kevin helped him sit up while Nicky braced Ari’s back.  
Ari blinked his eyes momentarily rolling back in his head and gave his head a small shake.  
“Okay you’re done,” Kevin said and waved Abby over.  
“I’m okay,” Ari said blinking again. “Maybe not,” he said and closed one eye then switched closing the other. “Kevin, its Andrew’s worst nightmare, there’s two of you.”  
“Yeah you’re done,” Kevin said and looked up at Abby when she came. “Hit his head, seeing double. He’s done.”  
She gently took Ari’s helmet off and moved a finger back and fort in front of his face. “Help me get him off the court,” Abby sighed.  
Kevin and Nicky each slung one of Ari’s arms over their shoulders and helped Ari off the court and handed him off to the subs.  
“Keep going,” Ari said. “I’m going to puke.”  
“Back in the locker room, come on,” Abby said and lead the way to get him off the court.  
Kevin scored on the foul shot, but now the Foxes were angry. They battled the Raven’s hard and between the backliners and Andrew on goal they shut the Raven’s out for the last five minutes of play. They won 10-7, the biggest point margin they beat the Raven’s by ever.  
Ari was back for the after game celebration, showered and smiling. He clapped hands with Kevin on the court and Kevin tucked his racket under his arm and took Ari by the chin to look at his eyes. “You okay?” he asked.  
“Threw up, laid down and now I’m fine.” Ari said. “Ribs are sore from the hit, elbow hurts from the fall but I don’t have a concussion.”  
“If you landed even an inch more on your head you would have broken your neck,” Neil said.  
“Guess I’m lucky then.” Ari said.  
“We should have known Riko would sic his dogs on your new pet, Kevin.” Andrew said as he joined their circle.  
“I’m fine,” Ari said. “They don’t hit as hard as they think. Once I’m used to playing sober I’ll be faster.”  
“Aaron and Nicky should have protected you,” Kevin said.  
“It’s not their job to protect me,” Ari said. “They protect the goal, I stop them from coming on our half. I wasn’t doing my job.”  
Kevin shook his head. “Fucking Riko.” 

The Ride back to Campus was long from West Virginia, but with Ari pressed against his side, sleeping on his shoulder, one arm wrapped around his waist, Kevin almost wished it would have lasted longer.


	20. Chapter 20

The next friday they ended up in Columbia again, to mark the end of the semester and the start of Christmas break, but with one crucial difference. Ari was with them. Andrew had to borrow Dan’s SUV and the whole ride down complained about the handling and that he would NOT be getting an SUV so someone would have to get a new car. By the end of the drive Nicky and Andrew had decided what SUV they should trade the car in for and Neil got into the conversation about saving money and buying a used one instead of a luxury new SUV.  
At Sweeties, after a brief argument over Ari having cracker dust (which was a hell no) versus his argument that no one would believe he was over 21 to drink at the bar, Andrew allowed Ari to have one packet punctured with a “And I mean fucking one you spoiled brat don’t give me that look” but Ari was satisfied.  
At the club, Rolland was excited to meet the newest member of the gang and leaned over the bar to grab Ari by his face giving him a shake at how cute he was. Ari blushed deeper than Kevin had ever seen him and maybe even swooned a bit. Kevin wasn’t happy.  
When a table was open they moved over and divided up their cracker dust haul. Andrew made a promise to Neil, so they didn’t have any. Ari had his one pack and smacked his lips at the taste of it.  
“It doesn’t taste like crackers,” Ari announced and Nicky almost fell over laughing. Nicky announced it was time to dance and Ari took a last sip of his soda and turned to Kevin “Are you coming?”  
“No,” Kevin said.  
“Why not?” Ari asked.  
“I don’t dance.”  
“Kevin,” Ari whined and moved up along side of him. He wrapped his arms loosely around Kevin’s shoulders and pulled him side ways towards him ‘Come on”  
“No,” Kevin smiled.  
“Please,” Ari asked putting his chin on Kevins shoulder  
“I don’t even know how to dance.” Kevin said  
“Please please,”  
Kevin turned more to him his arm snaking around Ari’s waist and he pulled him a little closer “You could stay here,” he said  
“And watch you three grumps drink?” Ari asked “Where’s the fun in that! Come on my cracker high is hitting and I wanna dance” he whined shaking Kevin a little.  
“I’m not stopping you,” Kevin chuckled. He sighed when Ari pouted dramatically. “I’ll let you share the couch with me tonight, if I don’t have to dance.”  
“We were already going to do that,” Ari said.  
“I’ll let you finish my drink if I don’t have to dance.”  
“Enabler,” Ari said but leaned down and sucked Kevin’s drink up through the straw.  
Kevin smirked and tried to pretend he wasn’t smelling Ari’s shampoo, or rubbing his hip under the table where Andrew and Neil couldn’t see. He pulled his head back when Ari’s straightened. “Be good,” He said  
“Define good?” Ari asked.  
“Don’t flirt with bartenders,”  
Ari threw his head back and laughed before pulling away and disappearing on the dance floor.  
“You” Andrew pointed at Kevin once Ari disappeared “Have a girlfriend.”  
“What are you talking about?” Kevin asked. When Andrew just rolled his eyes Kevin picked up another drink. Was Thea still his girlfriend? He was pretty sure he had been ghosted by her, but then again, he did a pretty good job of ghosting her himself. If he was honest with himself, they really hadn’t been together since Kevin left Evermore. If they were together even then.  
Did stolen moments create a relationship? It hurt because he liked Thea. Loved her maybe. But he knew he wasn’t in love with her. Not anymore. Maybe the Kevin who was a Raven did love her. She was his only bright spot in his life for so long, but now, what was it? Were they just holding onto the past?  
Ari was the first back from the dance floor, red faced and hair sticky with sweat. Kevin slid a water bottle to him and he drank it thankfully. Andrew then stole Ari for a cigarette, even though Ari didn’t smoke, and the two disappeared.  
“What’s that about?” Kevin asked.  
“Oh you know Andrew,” Neil said.  
At the cousins house Ari followed Nicky in a tour and ended up in Nicky’s room with the door shut. A moment later Kevin heard a shower cut on and went to find Andrew.  
“Andrew,” Kevin said as he walked into the kitchen.  
Andrew sighed against Neil’s lips and turned his head, hands still on the counter that was trapping Neil where he was. Kevin stopped, it wasn’t the first time he saw the two being couply when they thought they were alone, but it was for sure the first time he saw them kiss.  
“Kevin?” Andrew asked “What?”  
“What did you say to Ari?” Kevin asked leaning on the island.  
“As little as possible,”  
Kevin rolled his eyes. “What did you say?”  
Andrew turned back and looked at Neil, so close they were almost touching, which was normal for them. “I told him not to mess with you unless he meant it.”  
“What?” Kevin asked.  
“He came here as a spy,” Andrew said lazily. “Did you forget? I didn’t.”  
“Is that why you moved him into our room?”  
“It wasn’t because I wanted to share a bed with Neil every night,” Andrew said. “He kicks in his sleep.”  
“Fuck off, I do not,” Neil said.  
“Like a golden retriever,” Andrew said with a small smile Kevin might have missed if he didn’t know Andrew so well.  
“That wasn’t any of your business,” Kevin said  
“It is my business.” Andrew said.  
Kevin threw his hands up. “There’s nothing going on between us. We’re teammates.”  
“I don’t remember that warm of a welcome back after I left,” Andrew said then looked at Neil. “Did he hug you like that Neil after Baltimore?”  
“Nope.” Neil shook his head.  
“We’re friends.”  
“A friend you want to sleep with,” Andrew said. “Shhh Kevin, Kevin its okay. I get it, he’s pretty and sweet and looks up to you.”  
“You’re an idiot,”  
“You’re the idiot.” Neil said. “And he’s not spying.”  
“I know he’s not,” Kevin said quickly.  
“Then why are you bugging us?” Andrew asked. “We were busy.”  
“Jesus christ, be busy in your own room.” Kevin snarled and stalked out of the room. Hr flopped down on the couch and sighed. Fuck Andrew. He didn’t know what he was talking about and he didn’t need to get involved. Ari was his friend. They were friends.  
He closed his eyes and thought about Andrew’s words. He had to admit he did greet Ari differently than when the other two came back. On one hand he knew if he ran at Andrew like that after he was out of the hospital he would have gotten nothing but a black eye. But on the other hand he hadn’t wanted to hold onto Andrew to make sure he was actually there. He didn’t lift Neil off the ground and make sure he was alright. He didn’t want Neil to keep his secrets just as long as he was there and safe and in his bed beside him.  
But what did that mean? Did he like Ari or was he just protective of him? Kevin saw how Andrew’s protection of Neil slowly and grudgingly became more than just a protection. He knew between their glances and soft words they were a ‘something’ before even they did, he thought. When Allison figured it out in Baltimore he already knew, he wasn’t shocked. Not in the slightest.  
Maybe Neil and Andrew saw that with him now?  
“Sleeping already?” Ari’s voice asked  
“No,” Kevin opened his eyes and looked up at Ari standing in front of him, hands on his hips. He was showered and clean, in one of Nicky’s old shirts and sweats that were a little too big on him. At 5’7 Ari wasn’t the shortest on the team by far, but Nicky had a few inches on him and was bigger around than him. The collar of the shirt hung on him a bit and showed off his collar bones and the sweats hung low on his hips and pooled at his feet.  
“You going to shower?” Ari asked.  
“I didn’t dance, I’ll shower in the morning before we leave.” Kevin said and pulled a blanket off the back of the couch. He stood up and tossed it on the couch then toed out of his shoes and took his shirt off. It was tight and he didn’t want to sleep in it. When he looked back Ari was curled up on the couch under the cover,  
“Move over,” he said and got in. They situated so Kevin was on his back arm under Ari’s head and Ari had an arm and a leg over Kevin. Kevin sighed.  
“What?”  
“Sorry about Andrew,” He said softy.  
“He’s not as scary as he thinks he is.” Ari smirked.  
“What did he say?”  
“Oh you know the usual Andrew threats,” Ari said. “But what he really said is ‘Kevin’s my best friend don’t break his heart.”  
“Why would you break my heart?”  
Ari lifted his head off Kevin and moved so he was propped up by his elbow. Kevin had to fight something inside him not to push the hair out of his eyes. Had to fight even harder to stop thinking how soft his cheek would be fresh out of the shower, or how the collar of his too big shirt slid down his shoulder.  
Ari looked down and doodled invisible pictures on Kevin’s sternum and shrugged. “I guess he knows,”  
“Knows what?” Kevin asked almost breathless.  
Ari shrugged again. “That you’re special to me.”  
Kevin blinked at him, took in his upturned eyes, big and doe like, took in his little upturned nose and full lips. How his hair fell over his forehead and his chest felt tight. He knew every inch of this other boys face. The slight scar above his left eyebrow, the chicken pock scar next to his ear, the slight teeth indents from where he nervously worried on his lower lip.  
“You’re special to me too,” Kevin finally said and Ari brought his eyes back to Kevin’s. That smile he turned on Kevin was too much. The arm that was still around Ari lifted and went to the back of Ari’s head. “Come here,” he said softly.  
Ari’s lips were soft against his own. His hands were hot against Kevin’s bare chest. Kevin sighed into the kiss. He hadn’t kissed anyone in a year. He had never kissed a guy before, but it wasn’t just some guy. It was the teammate he had shared a bed with, who had fallen asleep against his shoulder watching Exy on youtube, who had stood up to Riko and had the most beautiful, heart stopping smile Kevin had ever seen.  
“Koji,” Kevin whispered as they parted.  
“One more time,” he smiled  
“Koji,” Kevin said and leaned up to meet his mouth.


	21. Chapter 21

Kissing Ari was intoxicating. It was different than Thea, stolen moments they took when they could. This was different, it was slow presses against the walls of the dorm. It was leaning over and kissing the top of Ari’s ear. It was Ari pressing warm kisses to Kevin’s neck his hands going down Kevin’s chest to his belt while he did homework at his desk. Kevin and Ari didn’t touch outside of the dorm, no more than usual. Only Andrew and Neil had found out their relationship was different. Watching Ari sweaty during practice, watching him jump on Nicky’s back, watching him try to get hugs from the Minyard twins, Kevin wanted. Every second Kevin’s lips weren’t on Ari’s was aggravating.   
Andrew banned them from sharing a bed together, even though they hadn’t had sex yet. Andrew didn’t care. It was easy to get Ari alone though. Andrew and Neil spent a few hours on the roof after night practice and that left them alone.   
Tonight they sat, shoulder to shoulder watching an Exy game online in Kevin’s bed, their fingers dancing together on Ari’s lap. The Christmas Banquet was tomorrow, they were both nervous. Kevin wasn’t sure what happened between Ari and his old Foster Family, he would wait for his answers, but he could tell that Ari was feeling the nerves. Normally, while at practice or at dinner with the team Ari would be laughing with Nicky gossiping loudly, but today, he had spent it next to Kevin, quiet and with a faraway look on his face.   
Kevin lifted his arm, dragging Ari’s hand with him and wrapped it around Ari’s shoulder. “You okay?”   
“Hm?” Ari asked “I’m fine.”   
“Yeah? They just scored with a great shot and you didn’t react at all.” Kevin said and bumped his nose against Ari’s temple. “What’s going on?”   
“Thinking about tomorrow,” Ari said.   
“I know you haven’t told me everything,” Kevin started “And that’s okay, but I’m here.”  
“I know,” Ari said and looked up at him. “You’re so cute when you’re concerned.” He said after watching him.   
Kevin snorted. “I’m not cute.”   
“I think you’re cute” He protested.   
“Yeah?”   
“And handsome,” Ari smirked he kissed Kevin’s jaw “And sexy,” he said and leaned up to press a kiss to Kevin’s lips.   
“You’re kissing me to distract me” Kevin said “And yourself from tomorrow.”   
Ari moved his kisses down Kevin’s neck slowly. “I am. Is it working?”   
Kevin caught his lips again and kissed him deeper. Just like that the Exy game was forgotten. The lap top was discarded on the bed next to him as Ari climbed into Kevin’s lap. He ran his hands up Ari’s long back under his shirt. He wanted to press, wanted to ask Ari what was so bad about his old Foster Family, but all he could think was how Ari’s hips on his and how good his skin felt under Kevin’s touch. Ari’s hands in his hair made him shudder and he moved his kisses down Ari’s neck slowly.   
Ari tipped his head back and hummed his approval at Kevin’s attention. Kevin lifted his hips into Ari’s and got a gasp and a hair pull at that. Kevin was pleased with his reaction.   
Ari was the first male Kevin ever made out with, ever put his hands on like this, but he wanted it. It was new and exciting. He liked to feel the slight stubble under and lips, liked Ari’s broad flat chest against his own, liked feeling when he turned Ari on.   
He wondered growing up, looked at other guys from time to time, but he also looked at girls. He only ever had girlfriends, well, girlfriend. He only ever had Thea, so he never questioned if he wasn’t straight. Sometimes he glanced in the locker room and there was one night where he held Jean tightly and felt Jean’s body react to his closeness and he liked it. But this, this was different. To put his hands on Ari, to nip at his skin and make Ari gasp, that was everything.   
Ari moving his hips on Kevin slowly was new and Kevin gripped at his sides. Their kiss was deep and wanting, Kevin lifted his hips pushing up closer and Ari made a sound into the kiss.   
Kevin was wrong, Ari’s soft sighs and gasps were just the tip of the iceberg, bringing noises from Ari was the best thing he ever heard. Kevin rolled them over, his lap top toppling to the blanket on the floor and worked his hardest to get more noises from the other boy.


	22. Chapter 22

Ari was quiet as they stepped off the bus at for the Christmas Banquet. He had been quiet all day, but this was a new quiet that Kevin didn’t know how to navigate.  
Nicky sent Kevin a worried look over his shoulder as he walked in with Ari. Kevin nodded. Not sure what about, but he knew that Ari would get through this. He’d make sure of it.  
“Hey,” Kevin said and leaned against the locker as Ari buttoned his dress shirt. “You alright?”  
“Yep,” Ari said eyes on the buttons.  
Kevin noticed his hands were shaking. He reached out and put his hand over Ari’s smaller ones. “Baby,” he whispered.  
Ari looked up, “baby?” he asked, his voice soft.  
“I’m nervous too,” Kevin admitted. “But you went up against Riko at the Fall Banquet, you have this.”  
“Riko’s your monster, not mine,” Ari said.  
“Then I will stand between you and your monster.” Kevin said.  
Ari sighed deeply and pursed his lips and he was so cute and so worried at the same time that Kevin couldn’t help himself. He took Ari by his hips and leaned in giving him a light kiss.  
Ari looked up at him and whatever he saw on Kevin’s face he nodded just a little.  
“What the fuck?” Aaron asked. “Did you two just-”  
“Ari!” Nicky said coming around the corner quickly. “I have the be-” he stopped and looked between Ari and Kevin then down to Kevin’s hands on Ari’s hips. “Hey! Do I have to defend Ari’s honor or what?” he asked  
“You two back off,” Neil said.  
“Wait,” Nicky frowned and pointed between Kevin and Ari. “WAIT! Oh not again! What the hell I’m usually so good at this. Kevin you’re not gay!”  
“Oh Jesus Christ,” Aaron sighed and sat down.  
“Nicky,” Ari said with his pretty smile confident smile that didn’t meet his eyes “You and I will gossip later.”  
“On your own time,” Wymack said as he walked in. “Let’s get this over with.”  
Dinner didn’t have the drama Kevin was expecting, in fact Ari chatted with the team that sat across from them and twice Kevin saw his real smile.  
“You’re still not coming to dance?”Ari asked after dinner when the music started playing.  
“Nope,” Kevin said and put his arm around Ari when he whined with a small hop. “You stay with Nicky and Aaron, if I see you by yourself again I will make you sit with Andrew on the way home.”  
“Andrew loves me,”  
“Negative.” Andrew said then looked at Aaron. “If you let him out of your sight I will gut you.”  
Ari smiled as if he got confirmation Andrew loved him and went towards the dance floor arm in arm with Nicky.  
“Riko’s keeping his distance,” Neil said.  
“And he better keep it up,” Wymack said. “Quit standing around go do something I need five minutes away from you psychos,”  
Kevin lost count of how many hands he shook, he lost count of the Exy conversations and they were all one big blur as the night went on.  
Once the three of them were a long for a moment, Kevin scanned the crowd looking for Ari. Ari was near the refreshment table, Nicky talking wildly in front of him, Aaron’s back to both of them as he talked with Katelyn. Kevin’s blood ran cold when Tyler stepped from the crowd two feet from Ari. Kevin took a step forward, but sped up when Tyler wrapped an arm around Ari’s shoulders from behind and pulled the smaller boy towards him.  
“Tyler,” Kevin growled as he neared.  
“Looks who’s back,” Tyler said rocking Ari just a little. Ari looked terrified. “My baby brother is back on campus.”  
“Let him go,” Kevin demanded.  
“Back off Day,” Tyler said his other hand slipping around Ari’s middle. “Where you been? I tried calling you. Seems your number is out of service.”  
“You keep touching him I’ll break your fingers,” Neil said as he caught up. If Neil was there, Andrew was there, Kevin suddenly liked his odds, but he couldn’t stand the look on Ari’s face.  
“I’m not talking to you Nathaniel,” Tyler spat and looked down at Ari. “Nothing to say? Saw you getting cozy with the Mexican on the dance floor.” He said pressing his lips close to Ari’s ear. “You know that’s not allowed.”  
“This is the last time I am going to be civil,” Kevin growled “Let him go.”  
“Oh look,” Tyler said with a smile at Nicky. “Your boyfriend is crying.”  
“Fuck off,” Nicky said, no tears in his voice. “Let him go you son of a bitch. You can’t dictate who he hangs out with, he’s a Fox”  
“Ohhh,” Tyler said, “It all makes sense, they don’t know.” He smiled pressing his lips against the top of Ari’s ear chasing it when Ari pulled his head away. “Are you going to tell your boyfriend or should I that I had you first?”  
The words didn’t register at first, just the look of horror on Ari’s face, as they stared each other down.  
Ari jumped when Tyler moved his arm from around his waist to go up his chest slowly.  
“Doesn’t he know he’ll never be as good as I was?” Tyler asked and caught the curve of Ari’s ear in his teeth, he moved his hand slowly down Ari’s chest not stopping when he hit the buckle of his pants.  
A blur moved past Kevin and suddenly Ari was pushed towards him. Kevin caught him easily and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy. He turned his back towards Tyler and looked over his shoulder. Andrew had him pinned on the floor, Tyler’s nose already bloody.  
“He’ll kill Tyler!” Kevin said to Neil.  
“Get him out of here,” Neil snapped and went to pull Andrew off of Tyler.  
“Nicky get coach,” Kevin snapped. “Aaron help Neil.” Kevin pulled Ari away holding him in front of him, shielding him from anything happening behind them. “Keep walking,” he said softly. “See that door? We are going there. Keep going its okay, you’re okay. I have you.”  
Kevin pulled Ari into a locker room and sat him on the bench. He crouched in front of him and rubbed his arms. He wasn’t nearly as good as comforting as Ari was, but he would try. “It’s alright. I have you.”  
Ari wrapped his arms around his own middle and stared some place over Kevin’s shoulder, his eyes blank.  
Fuck he was losing him. “Ari, baby” He whispered. “Koji” He smiled when the other boy looked his way slowly. “No one will touch you.” He promised repeating the words Ari once said to him, all those months ago.


	23. Chapter 23

No one spoke on the way back from Columbia, where the banquet was held. Kevin tried to coax Ari into small smiles, tried to get any reaction out of him, but he stared out the window. He did hold Kevin’s hand. The one time Kevin tried to take his hand away Ari clamped down on it and shook his head. Ari was in there, even if he was processing.  
Wymack pulled his bus up to Fox Tower, everyone but Dan, Abby and Kevin’s group got off the bus.  
“So,” Wymack said as he stopped near his players. “Someone going to tell me what the fuck is going on? What made our pet psycho go off?”  
“Coach this is serious,” Neil said.  
“So tell me,” Wymack said. “Because by Monday I’ll have the ERC breathing down my neck”  
“He never hurt me,” Ari said when no one spoke. His voice was soft and weak. “Not until Ari died, but before that he never… I had a crush when we moved in.” Ari’s breath hitched and he looked out the window.  
“You were 10,” Neil said, his voice cold.  
“That’s why its easier to be Ari,” he said, voice wet. “No one touched Ari, no one hit Ari. All he had to do was play.”  
“Your brother knew about this and still worshipped that family?” Aaron asked, outraged.  
“He didn’t know,” Ari wiped at his eyes. “When I got sad they put me on the pills. He thought I had ADHD.” Ari’s face crumbled “And then he walked in and he saw. He saw it and then he killed himself” He put his hands over his face and let out a loud sob “He left me all alone. He just left me”  
“Move,” Andrew said flatly from beside Kevin. Andrew sat down and in one easy movement pulled Ari in. Andrew didn’t look at anyone, he stared out the window, one hand on his back, one on the back of his neck.  
Andrew’s face was neutral, but his eyes were fire. Maybe he held Ari, the way he wanted to be held all those times he was hurt and alone and no one knew. Maybe he held Ari because Andrew knew he needed it. Needed it from him, from someone who knew that pain. Maybe it was guilt he didn’t see it in Ari’s eyes before he heard Tyler’s words. Whatever it was, Kevin was grateful.


	24. Chapter 24

Betsy Dobson normally didn’t make house calls. Neil was extremely uncomfortable with having her in his space. He scowled when she knocked at their door, but Andrew pointed at him to shut him up. Now, Betsy, Andrew and Ari were behind the bedrooms’ closed door. Kevin couldn’t hear yelling, but Ari was upset, not angry, so he didn’t expect it.   
Kevin and Neil sat in quiet, but the way Neil kept sighing Kevin could tell he still wasn’t happy.   
“Did you know?” Neil asked  
“If I knew do you think I would have let Tyler in the same room as Ari? As Andrew?” Kevin asked.   
“What do you think he meant that Tyler didn’t hurt him until after his brother died? Was it a one off?”   
“I don’t think so,” Kevin said softly. He thought of how terrified Ari looked under Tyler’s hands and shuddered. “Nothing like that ever happened between Riko and me, but sometimes it was worse when he was nice, when he’d touch me without hurting. It makes the next time he’s angry even worse.”   
“Made the next time,” Neil said.  
“What?”   
“You talk like you’re still with him.” Neil said. “He made the next time worse, he doesn’t make it worse. You’re not there.”   
In his head, Kevin was still there. He was always a moment away from flinching from a touch, or having a panic attack when the cousins played video games with loud noises. “You don’t get it,”   
“I don’t?” Neil blinked.   
“You were with Riko for two weeks” Kevin said. “And you ran from your father. You weren’t trapped.”   
“Don’t be stupid,” Neil sighed.  
“How often do you still think about running?” Kevin asked “I can see it on you. You’re thinking about it now. You’re not running from anything anymore, but it doesn’t stop does it? I share a room with you. I know when you wake up in the middle of the night and stand in the middle of the room staring at Andrew like you’re thinking about running. So don’t you for one God Damned second tell me that you’re not still there. That you’re not still running.”   
Neil looked away from him, so still Kevin knew he was trying to show he was staying.   
Kevin sighed and leaned back against the couch. “You’re not who I’m mad at,” he said in way of an apology.  
“Tyler will get what’s coming to him.”   
“I’m mad at myself too.” Kevin said.   
“You have nothing to do with this,” Neil said correctly guessing why he was upset. “Even Andrew didn’t know.”   
“I know him best,” Kevin said. “We’re—“he trailed off. He trailed off not sure where to end the sentence.   
“Just because Andrew reacts a certain way doesn’t mean everyone will,” Neil said. “Ari is more trusting than Andrew by nature. And he had his brother, he wasn’t alone like Andrew. Have you slept with him yet?”   
“What?” Kevin asked “Fuck you.”   
“Before this I would have thought you did.”   
“What the fuck? Why?” he demanded.   
“Just the way he comes across,” Neil said.   
“He’s not-“  
“He’s very physically affectionate. I just assumed with you it would be…. More. More like Nicky. You’d be shocked if Nicky hadn’t slept with Erik right?”   
“You’re an asshole. They’ve been dating for years of course I would think it was weird! ” Kevin snapped and got off the couch “And he’s my first boyfr-“ Kevin stopped. “Have you slept with Andrew?”   
“Would you be surprised if I have?”   
“Fuck you,” Kevin snapped.   
“Why are we the ones with the therapist and there’s yelling out here?” Andrew asked from the door.   
“Fuck you too,” Kevin snapped and stalked towards the bedroom door. “Get out of my way Andrew,” he warned when Andrew didn’t move.   
“He’s with Bee,” Andrew said coolly leaning against the door.  
“And I’m going in there,”   
“No you’re not,” Andrew said and smiled up at Kevin like he could do this all day.  
“I will move you,”   
“Oh! In that case,” Andrew said but didn’t move.   
“I’m going to kill both of you,” Kevin snapped throwing his hands up.  
“No,” Andrew said “You’re going to sit down and shut up because this isn’t fucking about Kevin Day for once.”   
“I never-“   
“You want to be there for him?” Andrew asked “Then sit down and shut the fuck up.”   
Kevin stalked back to the couch “Move,”   
“What why?” Neil asked looking up at him then at the space Kevin had just been.  
“Because I don’t want to sit by you,”   
“You’re a baby,” Neil said, but got up and moved over with Andrew.   
“What’s his problem?” Andrew asked softly.   
“He’s mad he didn’t know about Ari,” Neil answered  
“I can hear you,”   
“So?” Andrew asked.


	25. Chapter 25

Kevin made his way into the bedroom after Betsy left and stood by the door. Ari stood looking out the window on the opposite side of the room by the desk Andrew used for smoking. Kevin shut the door gently and moved up along side him. He wanted to touch Ari, to hold him and make sure he was alright, but he wasn’t sure if Ari wanted to be touched, so he sat on the desk near him and watched.  
Ari was wearing one of Dan’s old Fox T-shirts that she ripped the neck out of and it hung off his shoulder. Kevin wanted to put his mouth on his collar bone. The sun that lined his face, partially blocked by the open blinds made his eyes, normally almost black, look like creamed coffee. His full lips were parted, like he was lost, not knowing what to say. He was the most beautiful thing Kevin ever looked at.   
Kevin waited and shifted on the desk. He could be silent all he wanted, he was good at it. Somedays he hardly spoke if he wasn’t on the Exy Court, but he was never good at waiting people out. Especially not Ari, who chatted nonstop most days.  
“We could go someplace,” Kevin said  
“Go someplace?”  
“It’s break,” Kevin shrugged. “Matt invited us to New York again. Dan and Allison are going. Ever been?” When Ari shook his head he leaned back on his hands and tipped his head to the side to try to get Ari’s attention. He smiled when Ari looked over. “Time Square on New Years is fun,” he said in a small sing song voice.  
“It’s cold in New York,”  
“Yeah,” Kevin agreed. “Have to get you a winter coat.”  
“I don’t think the airlines or any store for a coat will take my student dining card for payment,” Ari said “That’s the only money I have.”  
“Good thing I’m not asking for your money,” Kevin said and bopped his knee against Ari’s hip. He reached out, but didn’t grab Ari’s hips and pull him over like he wanted. He let Ari do it on his own time. Ari moved over and stood in front of Kevin, with him standing and Kevin on the desk they were the same height.  
“You don’t have to give me a trip to show you’re sorry,” Ari said.  
“It’s not,” Kevin said “Its more like a get you out of here and have a good time trip.”  
“You don’t have to take care of me,”  
“What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I didn’t take care of you?” Kevin asked.  
“A what?”  
“What?” Kevin asked not realizing what he said.  
Ari’s mouth quirked. “Did you just call yourself my boyfriend, Day?”  
“Oh I—” Kevin blinked. “Well I mean…” He trailed off when Ari hugged him. Kevin sighed, the world making sense again once Ari was in his arms. “Do you want to be?” he asked after a short silence.  
Ari nodded.  
“You sure?” Kevin asked “Even with… everything you’ve been through?”  
“You didn’t kiss me until I was sober,” Ari whispered his chin on Kevin’s shoulder. “I’m making my own choices for the first time since I was 12. I choose you.”  
12\. Kevin closed his eyes and pressed his lips against Ari’s bare shoulder and breathed him in. He smelled like summer. “I still like Koji,”  
Ari took in a shaky breath and let it out slow “He likes you too.”


	26. Chapter 26

Nicky and Ari walked ahead of Kevin, Andrew and Neil. Ari linked arms with Nicky and laughed. God how he missed that laugh. They had been in New York for two days and in those two days Ari slowly came back to himself. He was quicker to touch, quicker to laugh.  
Kevin and him had to be careful. He was Kevin Day after all, but right now, he wanted to be the one next to Ari, holding him close like Nicky was doing.  
“ERIK!” Nicky shouted and ran off through the crowd in the Airport towards his boyfriend. Nicky had talked about nothing else since landing in New York. He hadn’t seen Erik since last May.  
Kevin stopped next to Ari and bumped him with his shoulder. Ari bumped back and hooked their pinkies together. Even that little touch grounded Kevin. It made his chest tight and his smile spread. He didn’t understand how Andrew and Neil could be so casual standing next to each other, how their faces could be unreadable when all he wanted to do was throw his arms in the air whenever Ari touched him.  
He wasn’t used to it. He wasn’t used to smiling this much. He wasn’t used to actually being happy. He had friends, Andrew, an unspoken best friend bond between them, Neil, someone he viewed as a brother- but having Ari? It filled his soul in a way he wasn’t prepared for and now he was addicted.  
Kevin leaned down, his lips close to Ari’s ear. “I want to kiss you,” he whispered.  
Ari bit back his smile and turned his face up towards Kevin, barely a breath away. “I want to let you.”  
“Maybe we go back to the hotel?” Kevin asked. “Have a rest before dinner and Exy practice?” Yes. They had Exy Practice. Kevin made sure their hotel was close to a Court. Just because it was the holidays didn’t mean they could get lazy.  
“I mean, Erik and Nicky will probably want time alone,” Ari said. “We’re being good friends,” he said and glanced down at Kevin’s lips.  
Kevin smiled, slow and then playfully chomped his teeth at Ari. Ari pushed him away and bounced off to meet Erik.  
They opted for a hotel this year. Aaron and brought Katelyn and with Ari and Erik in the mix Matt’s moms house didn’t have enough beds. They agreed to meet in the lobby at 6PM for dinner and more tourist activities and Exy Practice at 10 like normal. That gave Kevin four hours of Ari to himself.  
Ari took off his new coat and rubbed his hands together. “New York is cold,” He said as he toed off his shoes. He climbed into the bed and pulled the covers over him. “Kevin I’m so cold come warm me up, Im cuuuuute” he whined.  
Kevin chuckled. “Yeah yeah yeah. You’re cute.” He said and climbed into bed with Ari after taking his shoes off.  
Ari snuggled into him, resting his head on Kevin’s chest. “I don’t get how you’re so big. You’re not that special. Why can’t I be over 6 feet tall with shoulders as big as a doorway.”  
Kevin laughed. “Have you seen my dad?” he asked rubbing Ari’s back. “And I’m not Asian, so I’m not prone to being tiny.”  
Ari picked his head up “I have 7 inches on Andrew. You take that back.”  
“Then what are you if not tiny?” Kevin asked  
“Average”  
“If you’re average…”  
“Shut up I hate you” Ari smirked and kissed him into silence.  
Kissing Ari made the world go blurry around the edges. It made him calm in a way Kevin never experienced before. Sliding a hand up the side of Ari’s shirt Kevin leaned up into the kiss. He wanted. But he’d let Ari take control. He didn’t want to over step.  
Ari moved onto Kevin’s lap and pulled his own shirt off before gripping at the hem of Kevin’s. Kevin sat up and helped him get it off, then they were kissing again. Ari’s hands gripped at his shoulders, his back, wherever he could touch and Kevin’s skin vibrated against him.  
Ari’s hands on the button of his jeans made him pull back. The look he saw on Ari’s face made Kevin shiver. “You sure?” Kevin asked  
Ari nodded. “I trust you.”  
Having sex with Ari was different than Thea, it was slow, but full of this need Kevin didn’t understand. It was brushing the hair from Ari’s eyes and holding his gaze, it was putting his mouth on Ari’s soft skin, it was listening to Ari’s sighs become moans. It was every goal he ever scored in Exy combined, every championship, every highlight reel.  
After they didn’t part, they stayed tangled with each other as their breaths came back down. He listened as Ari fell asleep against his chest, his body relaxing in his arms. Kevin was never letting go.


	27. Chapter 27

“We need to talk,” Wymack’s said over the phone on New Year’s day.   
It was too early for this, Kevin rolled over and groaned. “What time is it?”   
“9am,”   
“Coach we literally got back to the hotel four hours ago,” Kevin groaned.  
“Not my problem,” Wymack said. “Get up.”   
Kevin groaned and sat up after dislodging himself from Ari beside him. “I’m up,” he groaned.   
“I thought I warned you stupid fucks to be careful while you were in New York,”  
“Uh,” Kevin rubbed his eyes. “We were? We are?”   
“Bullshit,” Wymack said. “You forget who you are? How many eyes are on you?”   
“What do you mean?”   
“Google your name dumb ass,” Wymack said.   
Kevin turned the phone on speaker and rubbed at his eyes again before he pulled up the browser on his phone and googled his name. He froze. There were pictures of him and Ari pressed tightly together, his arm around Ari’s slim shoulders, both pink cheeked from the cold. The next was Ari leaning against the fence barrier with Kevin nearly wrapped around him, hands on the fence on either side. Ari looked up at him, head back on his shoulder, Kevin smiling down at him.   
It wasn’t really incriminating, but it definitely told a story. A story Kevin wasn’t nearly ready to tell anyone other than his teammates. He hadn’t even told Wymack yet.   
“I… uh,” Kevin frowned.   
“The press has been blowing up my phone all day,” Wymack said. “Andrew assured me this wouldn’t be a problem.”   
“Problem?” Kevin asked.   
“Do I really need to remind you the drama surrounding that kid?”   
“No,” Kevin frowned.  
“Are you ready to face this? In the press?”   
“No,” he repeated.   
“That’s what I thought,” Wymack said. “Jesus fuck, keep your hands to yourself in public.”  
“Okay,”   
“Stop with the tone,” Wymack said. “I don’t care who you date as long as the little shit doesn’t start calling me dad.”   
“What’s going on?” Ari’s tired voice asked.   
“Speak of the Japanese Devil,” Wymack said over speaker phone,  
Ari groaned. “Hi coach,”   
“Don’t hi me you little shit,” Wymack said.   
“Okay, love you,” Ari said and rolled over, falling asleep as soon as his back was turned to Kevin.   
“Did you put the baby back to bed?” Wymack asked after a moment of silence.   
“What do we do?” Kevin asked  
“We?” Wymack barked out a small laugh. “This has nothing to do with me.”   
“Yeah but-” Kevin sighed.   
“When are you flying out?”   
“This afternoon,” he said.   
“Fine, call me when you land,” Wymack said. “We’ll reconvene then and try to fix this shit show of a team. Oh and Kevin?”  
Kevin pulled his finger away from the off icon and blinked.   
“Keep this one around, you look happy.” Wymack said then hug up the phone without another word.


	28. Chapter 28

The morning started with Ari having a panic attack locked in the bathroom. Nicky plead with Ari through the door, until Andrew came in and threatened to break the door down and have Kevin pay for it. The lock clicked but the door didn’t open. Andrew went in and turned pushing Kevin back out the door before it slammed in his face.  
“You’re really fucking involved despite not liking anyone,” Kevin scowled when Andrew came out as the shower cut on.  
“I just don’t like you,” Andrew said and glanced at Neil. “Your children are dramatic.”  
“He’s not mine,” Neil said as Nicky disappeared in the bathroom, followed by a squawk from Ari inside. “I expected the panic attack from you,” Neil said looking at Kevin.  
“He’s afraid Tyler will find out,” Kevin sighed sitting on the bed.  
“Who cares if he does?” Andrew asked and wrenched open the window.  
“You’re not smoking in here,” Kevin said.  
“Oh,” Andrew said and lit up hanging out the window.  
“It’s all over the news,” Neil said.  
“I know,” Kevin said and rubbed his face, “It shouldn’t matter.”  
“It does because you’re Kevin Day,” Andrew said his voice muffled from being stuck out the window in the New York wind. “Now that he likes dick the world will never be the same.”  
“I’ll push you out that window,” Kevin said flatly.  
“You can try,” Andrew said and tossed his cigarette out the window. “Look,” he said then slammed it and turned to Kevin. “It’ll be fine. It’s fine. Say something or don’t, no one will care in a few weeks.”  
“Gay jocks are still taboo,” Neil said.  
“I’m not gay,” Kevin said.  
“Still sucking a dick right now,” Andrew said. “Remember when you said it would be better if Neil stayed heterosexual while trying to get into Court?”  
Kevin winced at his own words hitting him in the face.  
“Good news!” Andrew said with false cheer. “You’re already on Court.”  
“I hate you,” Kevin rolled his eyes so hard he thought he might have pulled something.  
“Yas Queen,” Andrew said. “Neil, fix him.”  
“Me?” Neil asked “I don’t speak Kevin.”  
“Well I apparently have to take care of the child in the shower, so Kevin is yours,” Andrew said.  
“You put yourself on that job,” Neil said. “Not me.”  
Andrew waved a hand. “I hate you, remind me why I keep you around?”  
“Seriously? Do you two have to flirt right now?” Kevin asked rubbing his face. Then jumped when Andrew’s hand clapped down on his shoulder.  
“Jumpy,” Andrew said. “Look, there will be reporters when we leave. There always are with you. Ari is going to walk with Nicky, you are going to be by us. Ari agreed.”  
“Oh did he?”  
“And you’re sitting with Aaron on the plane,” Neil said.  
“This isn’t the 1950’s like the sporty people of America think, but we are in ‘Keep Kevin and Ari from sucking face’ mode.” Aaron said from the door, the first words he said.  
“Fuck you,” Kevin said.  
“Whoa, not gay dude.” Aaron said putting his hands up.  
“I’m not sitting with him.”  
“Then Ari will,” Andrew shrugged.  
“Fuck you, I”m not sitting with Ari. He’ll chat me to death or fall asleep on me. Let Nicky deal with that train wreck”  
“Be in the lobby in half an hour,” Andrew said and pounded on the bathroom door as they left.  
“Nicky,” Kevin said as he walked out, “He alright?”  
“His exact words were ‘I’m glad I have a claim on that hot ass, but I’m scared of Tyler’,” Nicky said. “I added the hot ass, because damn, you should wear those sweats more often.”  
“Nicky,” Kevin said and crossed his arms.  
“He’s fine,” Nicky said putting his hands on Kevin’s arms. “He still loves your fine ass, so smile. You’re much cuter that way.” He said and gave his face a quick little slap slap before heading out of the room. “Annnnnd— maybe not mention I said the L word huh?”  
Kevin stood dumbfounded in the quiet hotel room. He needed a drink.


	29. Chapter 29

The first game of finals was away against Penn State. It was a hard opener for their season, but Kevin was confident. Penn State had challenges over the last few years, and while the Foxes thrived under pressure, the team used to being in the top three cracked.   
Kevin ignored the press calling his name as he walked towards the away benches, head held high with only the game on his mind. It had been a shit show with the press since New Years. Wymack had been trying his best to keep away the press from his young players, but it was hard to ignore the media when it was always in everyones face. Tonight though, Kevin would not worry about the press. He was here for one purpose and that was to win. They were missing the presence of a 4th Striker on the line, but defense with Ari had locked down most of their games.   
Kevin continued to work with him at night and he hoped maybe next season he could get Ari on as a striker and backliner sub. Ari didn’t want glory like Kevin, he loved being a sub. He loved coming on and cleaning up. He didn’t care if started, he was better when he didn’t. He was better when he could gage the other team from the sidelines over the opening of the game. As much as Aaron complained about Ari, on the court their teamwork was flawless and having Andrew on during their time together shut the other teams offense down. When the three of them stepped on the court together the crowd would chant ‘SHUT THEM OUT. SHUT THEM OUT’  
Penn State would be a challenge, both teams now were stronger on their defense. Both teams won by shutting down the other teams offense. Tonight would be a fight and Kevin wished they had another Striker on the line. Wymack’s plan was if first half didn’t go as they wanted they’d move Ari to a Dealer position so they could use his speed on both sides of the court. Kevin hoped that would be enough. Ari always thought in defense mode, it was hard for him to turn off that part of his brain and become an offensive player. Wymack hoped it would be enough to have someone with the same mindset at Penn States backlines on the offensive side if they were in a pinch.   
The first half was tough, like they expected. Time and time again Neil and Kevin were pushed back, even in rest they were in constant check, fighting each other as they watched the ball on the opposite side. Kevin used French to call out to Neil plays and different ways to get inside the Penn State defenses.   
When Ari stepped on with 25 minutes left, Kevin and Neil went all out. Ari called down the court in Japanese with openings he saw as he watched his Striker’s backs. It wasn’t enough. First half ended 2-4, they were behind by 2 goals. Kevin tried not to let his anxiety show, like the Foxes, Penn State’s stronger goalie was out in the second half. It wouldn’t be enough for Andrew to shut them out, they were still behind.   
“Someone please tell me,” Wymack started as he walked in. “Why in God’s name if I have the two best Strikers in the South East on my team we are behind right now?”   
Kevin was quietly bristling at being called out by Wymack. He wasn’t used to not playing perfectly.   
“You have to break through their defenses!” Wymack continued. “We can’t score if the Strikers can’t get past the backliners.”   
“We got it Coach,” Neil grumbled.  
“See that you do,” Wymack said. “Ari you’re on as Dealer. Nicky you’re taking Ari’s place, I don’t want any weak links, play it like you mean it.”   
“He’ll be fine,” Kevin said. Ari convinced Nicky to come to a few night practices a week, everyone knew that while Nicky loved the game, he wasn’t here for Exy. He started at Palmetto here for his cousins, now he was here for his found family and an education. He had no problem not continuing with Exy once he graduated. Kevin thought part of him was even looking forward to not having such a grueling schedule. But Nicky had improved greatly. He was no longer afraid of hard hits. He used his long body to swat down passes and block the Dealers.   
Nicky beamed by Kevin’s words and was all energy as they lined up to take the court. Ari looked confident, his mouth pulled not a tight small line with intense eyes. Moments like this, looking at him through his helmet sometimes Kevin would be reminded of Riko. He knew it was the tilt to Ari’s Japanese eyes, not that they looked alike, but sometimes it sent a chill down Kevin’s spine.   
“Hey,” Neil said looking up at him. “Get in the game.”   
“I’m here,” Kevin said.   
“Prove it.”   
Kevin proved it, but barely. Maybe it was too optimistic to have an intense all encompassing relationship when he knew his life was too busy with Exy to have room. Maybe that’s why Thea and him worked. They knew they were Exy Players first, but did he want that with Ari?   
Wymack ushered his players off the court after the handshake, leaving Nicky and Aaron of all people to do the press. Ari, had done what he did all night, ignored Kevin. Maybe that’s what was bothering him. Maybe they were being too distant. He was used to having Ari near him, used to Ari’s banter, he wasn’t used to the silence they agreed upon on the way to Penn State. Kevin did it to keep Ari out of the press shit storm that would come his way. Ari did it to protect Kevin from whatever he was afraid of from Tyler. But, Kevin wasn’t afraid of Tyler.   
He moved up next to Ari as he took off his uniform and pads. “This isn’t working,”   
“What isn’t?” Ari asked after a few moments.   
“Us,”   
“What?” Ari asked turning to him quickly.   
“Keeping our distance isn’t working,” Kevin said blinking at him.  
“Oh Jesus Christ,” Ari said and sat down a hand going to his chest.   
“What’s your problem?”   
“You’re a fucking idiot,” Aaron said from behind him as him and Nicky walked in.   
“What why?” Kevin asked  
“You basically started to break up with him,” Nicky said rubbing Ari’s shoulders. “Don’t listen to him baby, Kevin’s an idiot when it comes to emotions,” he said kissing on Ari’s sweaty head.   
“What?” Kevin asked “No!” he said quickly and sat next to Ari pushing Nicky off of him, “Baby no,” he said nuzzling the side of Ari’s face. “Ignoring each other isn’t working. You always work for me.”   
Ari let out a sighed breath. “Jesus Day, you’re going to give me a heart attack one of these days,”   
“Let me start over,” Kevin said and pushed Nicky away again when he started to loom over Ari. “Us ignoring each other during games isn’t working for me.”   
“It’s not working for me either,” Ari said softly.   
“Alright,” Kevin leaned in and gave him a soft kiss. “Then we figure out what works, before next game preferably.”   
“If we are seen together the press-”  
“I don’t care about the press.” Kevin cut him off.  
“But Tyler-”   
“I don’t care about Tyler,” Kevin smiled and took him by the face. “The only thing I care about in this relationship is you.”   
Ari nodded slowly.   
“Nicky said you loved me,” Kevin said  
“KEVIN!” Nicky gasped then looked guilty when Ari looked at him. “It slipped!”  
“Hey,” Kevin smiled guiding Ari’s face back to him. “I love you too.”


	30. Chapter 30

Kevin let the door of Fox Tower’s third floor hallway bang and it echoed down the hallway in front of him. Monday’s were his long day at school and it being the beginning of the semester, Kevin wasn’t used to it. He pulled his phone out and glanced at the time, he still had 2 hours before practice. What he wanted to do was curl up with Ari and take a nap, but he couldn’t remember if Ari was in class still.   
He unlocked the dorm and walked in, but stopped short, just barely inside the dorm.   
“Kevin,” Thea said from the couch. “Right on time, still punctual I see.”   
“Thea?” he blinked. “What are you doing here?”   
“Well, I tend to keep up with my boyfriends name in the News,” she said standing and fixing her shirt. “You’ve been in it a lot lately. I found out from a Press Release you broke your hand and now I find out from TMZ that you’re gay!”   
“I’m not gay,” Kevin sighed. “I don’t know what I am, but I’m not gay. I’m just with a guy right now.”   
“You’re my boyfriend you’re with me,” Thea snapped.   
“Thea you haven’t spoken to me in months.”   
“And we didn’t speak for almost a year the first year you were here,” Thea said. “You remember how that trip ended, don’t you?”   
“That was different,” Kevin frowned. “How did you get in here?”   
“Your boyfriend is in the bedroom.”   
“Fuck,” Kevin muttered and dragged a hand over his face. “You have to leave.”   
“I just got here,” Thea frowned and crossed her arms.  
“I know and now I have a shit storm I have to take care of because of it” Kevin snapped.   
“We are not broken up, we will be finished when I say we are finished.” Thea nearly shouted.   
“What’s the point?” Kevin asked matching her pitch. “You’ve ghosted me since April! April Thea!”  
“Now you see how it feels”   
“So this is payback?” Kevin asked. “We talked about that and how fucking hard that year was. I didn’t talk to anyone! I didn’t even talk to my teammates,”   
“Well now you’re sleeping with one, so I guess a lot has changed.” Thea frowned.   
“I never expected for it to happen,” Kevin said gesturing wildly. “I didn’t plan this! I would have told you but I thought we were broken up!”   
“You don’t move on from something like that,” Thea said softly.   
“The Raven’s nest or us?” Kevin snapped, then sighed deeply. “Sit down okay?” he asked and sat next to her on the couch once she sat. “Thea listen, I think if we were anywhere else we would have been a… fling or lasted a few months.”   
“Oh really?”   
“You were the only bright spot in my life for such long time,” Kevin said “And I will always love you, but… I’m in love with him,” Kevin said pointing towards the bedroom Ari was in. “I don’t know why and I don’t even really understand how it happened, but it did and I’m happy. When have you ever heard me say that?”   
Thea sighed and looked down at her hands. She looked up at him when Kevin reached over and slipped his hand into hers,   
“I will always love you,” Kevin said. “You saved me in more ways that you know.”   
“I thought I’d be upset,” Thea said after a moment, “But… I’m just relieved you’re happy.”   
“Then maybe what I’m saying is right,” Kevin said.   
“Well now I feel horrible for the way I barged in here and was an asshole to your little Asian.”   
“He’s stronger than he looks,” Kevin smiled.   
“He’s cute,” Thea said.   
“Yeah,” Kevin grinned.   
“Quit gloating,” Thea laughed then leaned in and hugged Kevin fiercely. “I’m always on your side.”   
“I know,” Kevin said hooking his chin on her shoulder. “I’m always in your corner.”   
“I know,”


	31. Chapter 31

Kevin knocked on the bedroom door before opening it and leaning against the frame. “Hey,”   
“Oh good you’re here,” Ari said, his tone cool “Neil would have killed me if I left Thea alone in our dorm.”   
“Where are you going?” Kevin asked “You have class?”   
Ari hoisted his duffle bag up onto his shoulder. “I’m moving back in with Nicky and Aaron. Andrew trusts me now, no point of sleeping above him and Neil anymore to prove I won’t spy or kill myself.” He said as he started for the bedroom door.   
“Hey,” Kevin frowned and put an arm out blocking the way. “What is this about?”   
Ari glanced over his arm “Oh your girlfriend gone?”   
“She’s not my girlfriend,”   
“You know what I think is shitty?” Ari asked and dropped his duffle on the floor. “Is that you’ve known me almost a year and you didn’t mention Thea once. Not ONCE,”   
“There was nothing to mention,” Kevin frowned. “Are you really upset over her?”   
“She showed up at our room Kevin” Ari snapped. “I had to find out form her that you’ve been dating for YEARS”   
“We haven’t talked since April,” Kevin said “I thought she broke up with me.”   
“Oh I heard it all, I heard that you two barely talk but you’ll always belong to each other,”   
“Then why is she gone?” Kevin asked “Why did she give me her blessing to be with you?”   
“I don’t care about her blessing!” Ari’s eyes flashed angrily. “I care that the guy who told me he loved me on Friday has had a secret girlfriend this whole time!”  
“Its not like that”  
“No, I think I’m the secret boyfriend, since I’m second. That’s how it works right?” Ari asked.   
“Koji,”   
“YOU DONT GET TO CALL ME THAT,” Ari yelled giving Kevin’s wide chest a push.   
“Okay,” Kevin said “Will you just hear me out?”   
“No, fuck you,” Ari said. “I’ve been listening to you too long.”   
He bent down to grab his bag but Kevin reached out and grabbed the strap as well. “Baby, cmon. Thea and I are over. Have been over. I love you.”   
“Yanno,” Ari smiled cooly. “I used to see those people that would get into bad situations over and over and I thought they just don’t have good judgement. I’d never do that, but now I realize that people can just smell it on you.”   
“What are you talking about?”   
“Did you know I’d fuck you without a fight the moment you met me? Or was it just after I was sober?” Ari asked.  
Kevin recoiled like Ari had hit him and blinked down at him. “What?”   
“You didn’t have to make me fall in love with you for that!” Ari laughed, his voice all wrong. “Just take it! Unlike Andrew apparently, I don’t fight it.”   
“What the fuck did you just say?” Kevin asked and wrenched the duffle bag from Ari’s hands. He let it fall on the opposite side of him and moved to Ari. “How the fuck do you think it’s okay to say that to me?”   
Ari moved back, but his eyes were still angry. He pushed Kevin’s chest “Get away from me.” He snapped. “This isn’t about you for once it’s about me!”   
“Don’t be an asshole,” Kevin reached for him when he took a step back with Ari’s pushes.   
“Dont. TOUCH. Me!” Ari yelled.   
“According to you I don’t need permission!” Kevin yelled back and grabbed at Ari again, who moved out of his reach. “Get back here!” Kevin grabbed Ari by his shoulders and shook him. “If you’re so hell bent on playing the victim role then you’ll do what I fucking say and talk to me.” Kevin said threw gritted teeth  
“Stop,” Ari gasped. “Okay! Okay, please!”   
Kevin blinked down at him and froze, his hands digging into Ari’s biceps. “I didn’t…” he let go of Ari quickly. “Fuck. I’m sorry.”   
Ari stared up at him with tear bright eyes, he looked scared and unsure. Kevin never wanted him to look like that at him. He never wanted Ari to think he’d ever hurt him.   
“Ari,” Kevin took a step to him.  
“No,” Ari gasped out and moved away. “No I’m sorry.”   
Kevin pulled away from him. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for, I do. Im sorry.” He turned on his heel and walked from the dorm. He didn’t stop once he was in the hallway, he didn’t stop on the stairs or as he got his first lung full of fresh air outside. He kept going. What did he do?


	32. Chapter 32

Kevin threw himself into practice that afternoon. He barked orders at his teammates who weren’t keeping up the pace with him and Neil. He did his best to keep his mind and his eyes off of Ari. He was here to play, anything between them could wait until after practice.  
During the scrimmage Ari played as a backliner, Neil’s, not his, but more than once they slammed together if Kevin got too close to the goal. Normally Kevin liked Ari’s aggressive way of playing, he was fast and hit hard and the Foxes needed that on their side, but today, it aggravated Kevin. When Ari wasn’t in his face blocking shots, Ari didn’t look his way. It shouldn’t bother him, not now, in the middle of practice, but it did.  
Neil and Kevin were pretty evenly matched against Aaron and Ari with Andrew in goal. It was great practice to have this level of defense to play against, but Aaron had apparently taken sides and he was rough on Kevin.  
After the second time in two minutes Kevin took a spill from a dirty block from Aaron, he had enough. “Knock it off Minyard,” Kevin snapped giving Aaron a shove.  
“What’s the matter?” Aaron asked shoving him back. “Don’t have any fight left when I’m not afraid of you?”  
“Fuck you,” Kevin growled as the play started.  
They held each other in a constant game of check, one having the upper hand then the other. Kevin’s height was his only advantage against Aaron the court, so he used it. He reached over Aaron to pass to Neil. When Neil didn’t have a shot he passed it back to the Dealer who passed it to Kevin. Aaron almost got in the way but Kevin shoved him hard on the back of his knee and Aaron fell. He stepped around him and when he turned back to Aaron he had just shoved himself up onto his knees. Kevin kneed him the chest as he went passed, a dirty hit, but Kevin had lost his patience. He made it passed Andrew for a goal, just barely, but the goal lit up red and right now, that is all that mattered.  
Kevin turned back to see Ari helping Aaron up, who had the wind knocked out of him.  
“What the fuck man?” Aaron asked and pulled his helmet off. “You might rough your boyfriend up but if you ever play dirty with me again-“  
Aaron didn’t finish before Kevin was on him. “What did you say?” He asked pushing Aaron’s chest.  
“You heard me you son of a bitch,” Aaron growled. “You put your hands on him again and I’ll kill you.”  
“Aaron,” Ari started.  
“I didn’t-“ Kevin was about to say he didn’t touch Ari, but he had. He didn’t hit him, he’d never hit him, but Ari was afraid of him after they parted and that was the worst feeling.  
“Aaron knock it off,” Neil said putting a hand between them.  
“I can’t believe you out of all people are taking his side,” Aaron snapped.  
“I’m not taking anyone’s side!” Neil snapped. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about, but this is not the time.”  
“What do you mean Neil out of all people?” Andrew called from the goal line a few feet away.  
“Quit antagonizing,” Ari said to Andrew quickly.  
“I’m not,” Andrew said. “And I was talking to my brother, not you Hiro. Aaron you talk.”  
“I just find it surprising now that we know how close yours and Ari’s childhood was, why your boyfriend would stick up for Kevin after he put his hands on Ari,” Aaron said glaring at Kevin.  
Andrew moved his eyes from Aaron to Kevin slowly, dangerously.  
“It wasn’t like that,” Ari said quickly.  
“Tell me what it was like,” Andrew ordered, eyes on Kevin.  
“We argued-“  
“Not you,” Andrew said to Ari. “You,” he pointed his racket at Kevin.  
Kevin swallowed hard, guilt filling his chest. “We argued about Thea.” Kevin started and looked at Ari. “It got… heated and I grabbed him. I never meant to scare you and I’m so fucking sorry.” He said his chest feeling tight and his throat closing up. He swallowed hard again. “I’d never hurt you and I hate that you thought I would. I’m sorry. It was my fault and I’ll never put my hands on you unwanted again.” He added in soft Japanese.  
Neil saying Andrew’s name in warning, was the only warning Kevin got before Andrew hit him. Kevin landed hard, he expected more but nothing happened after the first hit. He sat up hand on his cheek and saw Ari standing between him and Andrew.  
“Stop,” Ari said holding his hands out to Andrew.  
“I deserve it,” Kevin said.  
“You do not,” Ari said quickly.  
“I scar-“  
“Yes you scared me,” Ari said turning to him. “Do you think this is the first time you scared me?”  
“What?”  
“This was just the first time we argued and I couldn’t cover it.” Ari said then kept talking when Kevin opened his mouth. “It has nothing to do with you.”  
“I put my hands on you,” Kevin frowned.  
“The first time Nicky grabbed me to laugh, I jumped,” Ari said “When I fell asleep on Aaron on the bus I actually thought he was going to hurt me. Andrew and Neil scared me the first two months. I thought you were going kill me during night practices when I couldn’t get the drills. It’s not you. It’s not any of you. It’s what still happens in my head.”  
“But you’re still mad at me,” Kevin said. “You haven’t said one word to me, you told Aaron about our fight.”  
“I’m mad at you over Thea!” Ari snapped. “And Aaron knows because he was in the dorm room when I left yours crying! I’m not mad at you for how you reacted in our fight!”  
“I said shitty things to you,”  
“That’s what happens when you fight!” Ari snapped throwing his hands up. “Haven’t you ever argued before?”  
“No, I knew what would happen if I did,”  
Ari stopped at that and frowned at Kevin, he sighed deeply and walked to him slowly. “I’m sorry, I forgot.” He said and put his hands gently on Kevin’s arms. “We all have pasts and I’m sorry I forgot yours.”  
Kevin nodded. “I’m sorry I forgot yours too. I’m sorry about Thea, I honestly thought we broke up.”  
Ari nodded. “Alright,”  
“Alright?”  
“Alright!” Wymack said as he approached. Like always, he let his team fight out their problems because he knew it would be the only way anything would ever get fixed. “Can we go back to practice now? That is if Rachel and Ross are done discussing if they were on a break?”  
“I know that reference!” Neil said quickly.  
"Proud of you," Wymack said. "Everyone give me four laps."


	33. Chapter 33

Kevin found Ari sitting in the study area in the basement of Fox Tower. He leaned over a book, one hand in his hair holding his head up.   
“You are a hard man to find,” Kevin said.   
Ari looked up and blinked the haze of homework from his eyes. “Had to get away from Aaron and Nicky killing demons in my room.”   
“You could move back to my room you know,” Kevin said as he sat next to him.   
Ari leaned on the elbow closest to Kevin and leaned in a bit. “Andrew misses me?” He teased.   
“I miss you more,” Kevin said. “We’re okay? Right?”   
Ari leaned in and gave Kevin a soft lingering kiss that made his whole body relax. “We’re okay,”   
Kevin sighed deeply and leaned his forehead on Ari’s shoulder when he went back to his homework. “What are you studying?”  
“Psychology,” Ari said. “Learning what kind of crazy I am,” he said his tone light.   
“Figure out a major yet?”   
Ari rested his cheek on Kevin’s head. “Not sure. Thinking about Social Work,” he turned his head and gave Kevin’s hair a few soft kisses, then continued his lips still in Kevin’s hair. “Help kids in Foster Care. Not sure yet though.”   
“You’d be good at that,” Kevin said. “If you don’t go professional.”   
“You think I could go professional?” He asked in shock.  
Kevin nodded and lifted his head to look at him. “This year’s been a shit show, but I’ll get you there if that’s what you want.”   
Ari watched him a slow smile coming across his face. “My brother always wanted to go professional. He even had a team picked out.”  
Kevin laughed. “Man after my own heart,” He teased “What team?”  
“The Longhorns,”   
“The Longhorns?” Kevin asked. “They are terrible!”   
Ari laughed “I know, but it was the first Exy game he ever saw on TV. Always been his favorite. He had this dream that he’d go there and turn them around. Come to think of it, you two would either hate each other for being so much alike or be best friends.”   
“How would he feel about me dating his twin?” Kevin asked as he rubbed Ari’s back, splaying his hand wide over his back.   
Ari smiled, slow and closed mouth, “Depends, do you treat me nice?”   
“Always,” Kevin leaned in and gave him a small kiss.   
“He’d be okay with it,” Ari said. “Not if he hated you, so work hard on making him like you.” Ari teased.   
“Hey I got you to like me,”   
“He’s a much harder sell,” Ari teased leaning in to kiss Kevin again.   
Kevin ran his hand to the back of Ari’s head and kept him close, when they parted he rested his forehead against his. “I’m sorry you lost him,”  
“Me too,” Ari said, his eyes still closed. “Ever think about how your life would be if you stayed a Raven?”   
“Yeah,” Kevin nodded. “Getting on a professional team would have been easier, but…”   
“But…” Ari agreed.   
“I never thought my life would be like this,” Kevin said. “Being on a team with my dad, having friends, you.”   
“I doubt I was in your plans,” Ari said with a laugh.   
“No,” Kevin agreed. “But now that I have you I’m not letting you go.”   
“Yeah?”   
“Soon this will blow over,” Kevin said. “Soon you can be Koji again or you can stay Ari, whatever you want. Soon Tyler and the fucking Jackals won’t matter. It’ll just be us.”   
“You on Court going to the Olympics and finding a professional team and me being your housewife?” Ari teased.   
“You should be on the Court with me,” Kevin said. “You should be Court. You, Neil, Andrew and me. We’d be unstoppable.” Kevin looked back at Ari, who watched him with tear bright eyes. “What?”   
Ari sighed out a deep breath. “This place saved my life. Changed it, completely,”   
“Me too,” Kevin said. “It gave us a family.”   
Ari nodded and wiped his eyes. “Why are you always making me cry?” He teased with a laugh to try to soften the mood.   
“Because I’m a terrible boyfriend,” Kevin teased back helping Ari wipe his eyes. He kissed away the last of the tears, but more came “Baby no, c’mon. No tears,” he whined pulling Ari close.  
“Good tears.” He sniffed. “I just wish Ari was here to see it,” he whispered, his voice wavering.   
“He is,” Kevin said rubbing his back gently. “He’s making sure you found your place. He’s watching out for you.” Kevin held him tighter when he cried harder. “He brought you to me. He knows you’ll never hurt again, if I can help it.”


	34. Chapter 34

Semi-finals came before Kevin was ready. He couldn’t believe this season was almost over. Wymack scheduled a press conference for the Wednesday before Friday’s game. Kevin had avoided the press since the rumor about him and Ari surfaced and he wasn’t sure what he was going to do about it. He was sure about Ari. More than sure, but he wasn’t sure how the press would react. How his sponsors would react. Ari and he agreed that ignoring each other during games wasn’t working, they just weren’t sure how to spin the story. Were they best friends? Were they more? He glanced over at Ari who was running drills with the other backliners and took a deep breath as the press came in.  
Wymack called a stop to practice and the team gathered for the press conference to start. Neil and Kevin in the middle with the rest of the team fanned out on either side. Ari ended up near the end next to the other backliners. He nodded at Ari, who returned it. This would be alright.  
It didn’t take long for the press to go through questions from facing the Raven’s to what they thought their chances were for Finals to their strong defense this year.  
“Ariato, you played most of your career as a Striker, why the sudden change?” one asked.  
Ari, who didn’t think he’d be singled out took a deep breath. “I made it clear early on that I was here to help the team in any way that I can. I played Striker during games, but my high school made sure that we knew every position in case of injury. I’m where the Foxes need me to be.” He lied.  
“Still no word on why you missed games in the middle of the season,” Another said “Care to comment on that?”  
Wymack took a step forward but Ari held up his hand. “It’s okay Coach,” he said. He looked back at the reporter and said “I know that I was just in High School last year and not really on anyone’s radar but I had a really hard year my senior year. I didn’t take care of myself and I was grieving over a family member. I was no good for my team. I took some time, with everyone’s blessing and got my head on right. I was no good to them how I was then.”  
“There are rumors that Ariato and Kevin are dating,” A reporter said from the back.  
“Is that a question?” Neil asked glaring at the reporter. “Or are we just throwing out rumors now?”  
“Care to comment on it?”  
“Me?” Neil asked. “No. No I don’t.”  
A few of the reports called Kevin’s name out and he looked at Ari. Ari’s face was unreadable with all the cameras around but he gave Kevin a small look that told Kevin to do what he saw fit.  
“Yanno,” Kevin sighed. “When Dan Wilds and Matt Boyd were seen to be close no one thought to ask if they were dating during press conferences that are supposed to be about Exy. Now I’m not calling anyone out here, but I think it’s a testament to our society that people see two men that are close to each other and suddenly its gossip.”  
“Wilds and Boyd do well for themselves, but your Kevin Day.” One said.  
“So?” Kevin asked. “I’m a Fox. No more, no less than my team. But if you want an answer, I’ll give you one. The answer is that I’m happy. I’m happy in my life on and off the Court. Are we going to tell you the manner or our relationship? No, because that’s ours. You have our whole lives. You know things sometimes before we do, but I won’t let you have this. This is mine and Ari’s.”  
“Is that confirmation?” A reporter called out.  
“Have a great night! Thank you for coming,” Wymack said. “Team head to the locker rooms.”  
Kevin heard the reporters trying to ask more questions as the team walked away. Kevin was shaking. He sat in the locker room on one of the benches and his team passed him not talking to him. Ari sat next to him, he didn’t have to look to know the heat coming from the other body, and he knew Ari when Ari sat next to him.  
“I’m sorry,”  
“For what?” Ari asked.  
“I didn’t ask you first,” Kevin said and looked at him. “I just said what I wanted.”  
“I told you to,” Ari said.  
Kevin nodded and ran his hand through his hair. “How bad was it?”  
“It was beautiful,” Ari said, “Lean over you’re too big with your padding.” Ari kissed him softly when Kevin leaned in. “Koji still loves you.”  
Kevin smile “I love Koji,” he whispered back.


	35. Chapter 35

Edgar Allen still gave Kevin chills as he walked into the Stadium, but today he felt like an outsider. He felt like he was here just for another stop. He stared up at the empty seats and could barely remember when this was his home. When this was his life.   
“Thinking about having a panic attack?” Andrew asked as he appeared next to him.   
“Nope,” Kevin said.   
“Good, I’ve put up with enough from you this year,” he said.   
Kevin looked down at him. “Yes or no?” he asked. He heard it enough from Neil and Andrew to know that was their way of asking if touch was alright.   
Andrew pulled back from him a bit and looked at him confused. “Uh. Yes?” he asked. “Unless you’re going to try to kiss me then fuck no.”   
Kevin laughed and dropped his arm around Andrew’s shoulders. Andrew tensed, but he didn’t move. “You’re my best friend, Andrew.” Kevin admitted for the first time out loud. He looked out over the court not able to look at Andrew. “I know you always say you don’t need anyone, but I needed you for a long time. I still need you, not like I did, but more just to have you near me. You stayed with me, you protect me. Thank you.”   
“Are you going to paint my toenails next?” Andrew asked but stayed where he was.   
“No your feet are horrible,” Kevin smirked and then looked down at him.   
“Get away from me,” Andrew said and gave his chest a light pop with his fist. He pulled out of Kevin’s reach but then stopped and looked at him for a long time. “You’re mine too.” He said then walked back to the locker room.   
Kevin didn’t look Riko’s way during the game. He didn’t pay the Raven’s any more attention than they deserved. The Foxes didn’t just win, they killed the Ravens. 13-5. Wymack was all smiles, even Aaron smiled.   
Knocking the Raven’s out at fourth was something that Kevin was proud of. He was proud of the way his team worked together. On the way home Wymack announced that the top three teams were The Foxes, UC and the Breckenridge Jackals.   
Kevin felt Ari’s whole body go stiff next to him. They were going to play the Jackals again and Ari was going to have to face Tyler on the court. Face his ex-foster father.   
Kevin wrapped an arm around Ari tucked him in close. “He won’t touch you,” Kevin promised.


	36. Chapter 36

The Jackals beat Trojans and Kevin was still sore about it. Trojans had a great game, but the Jackals somehow were able to weasel their way past them and beat them by one point. ONE POINT. With the Foxes’ game against the Trojans already won, that meant they were going to play the Jackals for Finals.  
Kevin tried his best to be calm for Ari, but he knew his resolve was fading the closer the game got. At least it was home this time. At least Ari would face Tyler on his territory, not on Tyler’s, Kevin by his side.  
The press was having a field day with Kevin’s words even after two weeks. No one on the team would comment on it when asked. Neil would outright ignore the question. Andrew would stare the reporter down until they moved on to another player. Ari would smile and make it somehow seem that the reporter moved on to another topic, not him. God Kevin loved him. It was hard not to just announce that Ari was his, but that was foolish and Kevin knew it.  
Ari was pacing in the locker room, half dressed, nerves taking over making him unable to pull his jersey over his padding. Andrew sat in full uniform and watched Ari pace, letting him have his moment. Every time Kevin would start to say something Andrew would hold a hand out to shut him up.  
Finally, five minutes before warm ups, Ari stopped at his locker and pulled on his jersey. He turned to Andrew and Kevin, the only two left in the locker room and nodded.  
“You can sit out if it’s too much,” Kevin said. Ari shook his head. “We can put you back as a Striker so you don’t have to play against him.” Ari shook his head again.  
“I’m going to be right behind you the whole game.” Andrew said. “He won’t try anything.”  
Ari nodded and Kevin followed Andrew’s lead and stood up. Andrew grabbed his helmet and gloves and walked out. Kevin lingered with Ari.  
“If I could change this I would,” Kevin said. “I wish I could protect you from this.”  
“I know,” Ari said.  
Kevin moved to him and pulled him into a hug. It was more difficult with their padding, but Ari curled himself against his middle. Kevin swayed “God only knows what I’d be without you,” he sang softly into Ari’s ear, getting a small laugh from the other boy. Kevin pulled back when Ari looked up at him.  
“Tell me we got this?”  
“We got this,” Kevin said and kissed him softly.  
Kevin walked out with Ari to join their teammates on the Court. He took a deep breath and took Ari’s hand.  
“Are you sure?” Ari asked.  
“Sure,” Kevin nodded and kept his eyes forward as the camera’s flashed their way. Ari felt better when he was touching someone, he felt best when he was touching Kevin. Kevin wanted to show him he was protected. That nothing could touch him. If this is how he did it, then fuck the press.  
Kevin let his eye linger on Ari before he went on Court when their line ups were called. Ari would be on as a sub for Nicky. The game started violent almost after the buzzer. The Foxes were angry at Tyler and taking their anger out on the whole team. They were careful not to get red carded, though their team had expanded, they were still small and losing a player could make them lose the game  
When Ari came on the crowd screamed ‘SHUT THEM OUT SHUT THEM OUT.” He smacked sticks together with Aaron and Andrew and got into starting position. He looked confident and unmoved by the other team, but across the court Kevin could see he looked pale. When Ari looked his way Kevin nodded and Ari nodded back.  
Almost instantly when play started Tyler and the other Striker switched sides and Tyler pulled Ari into a check, their sticks held together as play resumed on the Foxes side. Kevin lost sight of them in order to play. He had to focus, Andrew was there. Aaron was there. Nothing would happen to Ari.  
The Foxes scored and when the teams set back up Kevin saw that Ari was now guarding Tyler. Aaron and Ari were talking back and forth to each other and Ari nodded. He then looked to Kevin and nodded. He was fine. He was safe.  
Tyler didn’t try anything on the Court, besides toeing the line of playing too rough. At halftime Kevin walked to Ari shouldering Tyler as they passed each other.  
“You alright?” Kevin asked  
Ari nodded, but he stayed quiet. Kevin walked with him off the court ignoring the press and headed to the locker room.  
Ari sat down in the locker room and rested his elbows on his knees. Abby sat next to him talking softly in his ear. Kevin wanted to reach out and take Ari’s hands to stop them from shaking, but he didn’t. Andrew was looming protectively and nodded at Kevin. Kevin nodded back. Just like when Riko was on the Court, the Foxes rallied around the player most effected. Ari would be fine.  
Second half was a mad dash to the finish line. Kevin could no longer afford to put anymore of his attention on Ari, he had to trust his team. Having Ari play Dealer during second half was the push they needed with their defense. The Foxes closed the distance and with 10 minutes left they were tied 6-6.  
Kevin watched as the Jackals fired on goal and Andrew batted it away to Ari. Ari took three steps and moved to pass. He faltered only for a second when the other Dealer came in low for a hit. Ari sped up and Kevin thought he was going to barrel through the other player, but as the Dealer went low Ari turned his back to him. He bent back and let the Dealers speed and his own momentum and somersault over the Dealers back and land on his feet. The crowd went nuts. Ari turned and took the rest of his steps while Kevin lost his backliner and he fired the ball to Kevin a moment before he was hit from behind. Kevin passed to Neil and Neil scored in an impossible snap of his wrist.  
With three minutes left on the clock, the Foxes were ahead 7-6.  
Kevin heard the commotion before he saw it. He turned from the goal and saw both of the Minyard’s pulling Tyler off of Ari. Ari was clawing at the court trapped face down under his weight trying to get away, but Tyler had a hold of the back of his collar and was lifting him up and slamming him into the ground over and over.  
Kevin and Neil ran at the same time. Their rackets dropped, their gloves coming off. The referees were already coming on the court, but neither team cared. Kevin dove between Ari and Tyler, pinning Ari down with his weight but got Tyler’s hands off of him.  
Andrew pulled Tyler off of Kevin and Ari and threw him back on the ground away from his team. Kevin could hear Ari sobbing through ragged breaths.  
“It’s okay, its okay,” Kevin said softly. “I got you. He won’t touch you.”  
Kevin looked up when he heard panicked screams and loud shouts from the referees. He was sure Andrew was trying to kill Tyler. Then he froze. Tyler had his arm raised pointed towards them and in his hand was a small gun.


	37. Chapter 37

Kevin dove back onto Ari covering him to protect him from Tyler. He didn’t have a chance to cry out before he heard a shot, it pinged off the against the court near them. He covered Ari’s head with his hands. They were trapped, they had no where to go. None of them did, they were stuck on the court with Tyler and his gun.  
“Koji!” Tyler’s voice broke through the panic, high and manic.  
Ari stiffened under Kevin, hearing his real name on his attacker’s lips was too much. Kevin could feel him shake, even under all the padding. Ari lifted his head when Tyler called him again.  
“No,” Kevin said holding him down.  
“It’s okay,” Ari said, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t okay.  
“No,” Kevin said again.  
Ari turned to him, tears in his eyes and put a hand gently on Kevin’s cheek. “This has to end,” he said softly.  
Kevin shook his head and cowered when another bullet hit the court near Ari’s hip. Tyler was toying with them. He pulled Ari to his chest quickly.  
“You stay behind me,” Kevin demanded. He the hold on Ari loosen when he felt Ari nod. They got up slowly, Kevin blocking him from Tyler with his hands up.  
“They think they can just take you away from me?” Tyler asked. He turned quickly and pointed the gun at the security rushing in. “You come any closer and I will kill as many as I can before I run out of bullets,” he warned.  
Kevin glanced around quickly, his dad, just inside the court near the benches, Abby tears streaming down her face behind the benches using herself to block the subs. Aaron and Nicky huddled behind Andrew and Neil. They were all breathing and unhurt. Kevin relaxed just a little knowing that all of his team were okay.  
Tyler turned back to Kevin and Ari, he moved towards them slowly, but with purpose. “I didn’t want it to come to this Koji, I didn’t want to hurt you, but he sent you away and you didn’t come back. He had no right you are MINE! He had Ari, he said you were mine.”  
Kevin kept himself between Tyler and Ari, one hand in front of him to keep Tyler back, one reached back clutching Ari. “Tyler, be smart.”  
“I am done!” Tyler yelled.  
“Tyler!” Coach Phillips yelled. “What are you doing?”  
Tyler twisted and shot at his father, he missed, only because Coach Phillips moved. “You gave him to me!” he yelled. “He’s mine and then when yours died you took mine!”  
“Tyler” he warned but didn’t move from his spot near the away benches.  
“YOU HAD ARI,” Tyler yelled. “You promised when they turned 13 Koji was just mine! You promised! Its not my fault your star killed himself. If you hadn’t been there that night he never would found out. This is your fault and then you take Koji away from me? After I kill them I’m coming for you.”  
“Tyler shut up,” Ari snapped.  
“What?” Tyler asked, a burst of crazed laughter coming from him. “Don’t want everyone to know that when we got too old for dear old Dad to fuck us he still liked to watch us together?”  
“I said shut up!” Ari yelled.  
Tyler turned quickly and shot into the air when he realized security was coming closer. Then he pointed it at Andrew and Neil. Andrew took a step in front of Neil, his eyes as cold as Kevin ever saw. “Any of you move and I will kill them.” He shot at Andrew’s feet when he took another step forward.  
“Andrew” Kevin snapped and held his hand out.  
“Get over here,” Tyler demanded as he turned back to Kevin and Ari.  
“Fuck off,” Kevin growled out. “You are never touching him again.”  
Tyler moved to them and pressed the barrel of the gun to Kevin’s forehead Kevin ground his teeth.  
“It’s you. Kevin Day always getting what he wants. You’re not getting him” he laughed. “No, you’re not getting anything ever again. He’s mine.” He pulled the trigger  
CLICK  
Kevin let out a breath his whole body starting to shake. The gun didn’t go off.  
Tyler took his hand away and looked at the gun. He shook it and then started messing with it. Tyler’s head wrenched back, Kevin barely registered the knife before the blood spilling from Tyler’s neck had his attention. He stepped back as Tyler crumpled at his feet.  
Kevin looked up expecting to see Andrew, knife in hand, but it was Riko. Riko watched Tyler, his hands bloody as Tyler clawed at his own neck trying to gasp in air.  
Riko stepped over Tyler’s convulsing body and reached a bloody hand out to Kevin.  
“No,” Ari gasped out, but Kevin held him in place. He didn’t trust Riko with that look in his eyes.  
Riko looked him in his eyes for a very long time before his eyes moved to the tattoo on Kevin’s cheek. He tipped his head and reached out again. He drew a 2 over the Queen tattoo on his cheek in blood.  
“No one touches you,” Riko said. He took a step back from Kevin and dropped the knife as security rushed onto the scene.


	38. Chapter 38

Kevin watched from just inside the court a smirk on his face. Koji was on his back in the middle of the court under the scoreboard. Tomorrow Koji would be graduating from Palmetto State. The graduating Foxes Captain, he had taken over the team after Neil graduated and he had done well. They were Champions every year except for Koji’s first year as captain. Losing most of the starting line up that year when Kevin and the Cousin’s graduated was hard for the team to adjust too. Kevin had faith in them. In him. Koji didn’t let him down. Koji joined Kevin, Andrew and Neil in Court last year, this winter they were all going to China for the Olympics. Kevin made Koji a promise all those years ago and he would never let him down. He’d get Koji where he wanted to be.   
After Tyler died, after Coach Phillips was arrested and after Riko was arrested and acquitted for killing Tyler, Koji’s truth came out. It was tough for him, tough for them. No one expected Koji to return to Exy the following year, he didn’t take the attack well, but the first game of Kevin’s senior year Koji was on the Court with him. ‘K Hiro’ on his back, just like in high school. ‘A. Hiro’ had a an honorary jersey hung with the rest of their Jersey’s from the last year’s Championships. Ari would always be a part of the Foxes.   
“Hiro,” Kevin called and smiled when Koji’s head snapped towards him. He walked onto the court laughing as Koji scrambled to his feet and ran at him. He caught Koji easily and hugged him tightly. “Fuck I missed you.”   
“What are you doing here?” Koji asked. “I thought you flew in tomorrow!”   
“I wanted to surprise you before everyone else got here,” Kevin smiled as he set him down. “Have a night together?” he asked “Dad offered to let me stay with him, but I got a hotel for us if you want to spend the night”   
“I want I want,” Koji bounced and leaned up to kiss him.   
Kevin sighed into the kiss, his hands cupping Koji’s cheeks gently. Just like that, he was grounded. Everything made sense again. He wasn’t Kevin Day, starting professional Striker. He was just Kevin, one part of a pair. He wrapped his arms around Koji when he pulled from the kiss and rested against Kevin. “How many offers you have? Still three?” Nicky, over in Germany, was taking bets where Koji would end up and how many offers he’d get from Professional teams. Nothing changed with the Foxes.   
“Five,” Koji said softly.   
“Five?” Kevin smiled and leaned back to see him. “Where?”   
“Atlanta, Phoenix, Chicago, Buffalo and Philly,” Koji said. “Phoenix makes sense, you’re there, but…”   
“Still haven’t gotten the offer you want,” Kevin said reading Koji easily.   
Koji shrugged and leaned his forehead on Kevin’s chest. “Are you mad I haven’t accepted Phoenix?”   
“No,” Kevin said quickly. “Baby, hey look at me.” He continued when Koji looked up at him. “I have never been mad at you a day in my life.”   
“Liar,” Koji smiled. “What about when I got red carded for breaking a Bearcat’s leg?”   
“Well that was different!” Kevin huffed, but smiled when Koji turned that beautiful smile up at him. “There it is,” he said and couldn’t help but to kiss that smile. “Koji?”   
“Mmmm still love hearing you say my name,” he grinned.   
“I’m not here just to surprise you,”  
“Then why are you here?” he asked.   
“We’re going to have dinner with someone.”   
“Who?”  
“A surprise,” Kevin said then laughed at his face. “Want to make the offers six?”   
“Who are we having dinner with?” Koji asked squinting up at him.   
“Coach Maddox.”  
“What?” Koji asked   
“What do you say?” Kevin smiled. “Want to have dinner with the Longhorn’s coach?”   
“Really?” he asked, tears coming to his eyes.   
“Yeah,” Kevin smiled. “I had dinner with him last week, I’ve already accepted my offer.”   
“What?” Koji asked and pulled away from him in shock.   
“Wanna play with me again, Hiro?” he asked. “Be a Longhorn with me?”   
Koji smacked a hand over his mouth tears pouring down his cheeks already.   
“C’mon let’s play for Ari’s favorite team, you wanna?”   
Koji let out a sob and hugged Kevin tightly.   
“They’re a poor team, don’t dream of a huge paycheck.” Kevin said rubbing his back holding him close. “That is until we build them up and turn them great.”   
“I get to be a Longhorn and be in the same city as you” Koji sniffed. He pulled away and smiled. “I’d play for free.” He laughed and hugged Kevin tightly.   
“I love Koji,” Kevin whispered.   
“Koji loves you,” he said back.   
Kevin held him close kissing whatever skin of Koji’s face and neck he could get too. Koji was safe, living his truth, they were going to be together on a professional team.   
Kevin was never letting go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miiiiiight bring Koji and Kevin back in a sequel if I get enough requests.... and I can think of a good storyline. I'm up for suggestions!


End file.
